One Year

The older I get, the faster the years seem to fly by. Sometimes, it's easy to sit back and let time slowly pass on a lazy Sunday afternoon. But most days, time flies and I am always amazed that another day is already gone.

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our first wedding anniversary. The first 365 days of our marriage have been filled with so much joy and happiness that I can't help but praise God for the time He's given us together so far. But our joy and happiness have also weathered struggle and hardship.

When we first arrived in Oklahoma, Kelly was very sick with strep. After a trip to the ER, he spent two weeks in bed. It was my turn to be sick when Thanksgiving rolled around. We lost a family friend, Tony, right before Christmas and it broke our hearts in two. Our next big battle occurred when our beloved Maverick unexpectedly quit working at the beginning of the year.

The last six months have been filled with little battles within ourselves. We've discovered what it's like to ask God for something and to have His reply come in the form of a resounding "No." But it's taught us how to wait on God's timing and to be patient. Over the course of one year, we've learned how to live with one another and understand how the other person operates. And I've learned that sometimes it's O.K. to let one portion of the room be messy if it makes my husband happy. Our struggles may seem small in comparison to the larger issues in the world, but they're still our struggles and they're teaching us to seek God and peace in the middle of every raging storm. So I am thankful for every bump in the road.

Our joys are too numerous to blog about. We've experienced everything from answered prayers to finally getting that dog my husband's been dreaming about. And it was just in the last 365 days that my husband stood beside me as my long time dream of publishing a book FINALLY came to pass.

Our life together is blessed with so many wonderful friends and family. Looking back, I didn't expect to be where we are today when we made our vows and began a life together. The image in my head was very different from what I see now. But I wouldn't trade one single moment of the last year for anything. So today, one year after we vowed to walk beside each other for the rest of our lives, I get to celebrate this crazy, wonderful life with my best friend.

Happy Anniversary to my husband. Thank you for the last year! I love you more than words could ever express :)