Nine years and two days

This post was originally intended to air on June 17, but seeing as how there's always a lot going on around here on that date, it just didn't happen.

After a full day of celebrating Samantha's 3rd birthday, we somehow summoned a little extra energy and laid on the bed Wednesday night and tried to relive each of our anniversaries. We tried to remember the things we had done and places we had been - from dessert at Olive Garden our very first anniversary to a bad western-imitation chinese restaurant on the third one, Paris on the fifth one, a hospital delivery room on the sixth...yeah, there are some crazy places in there.

When I woke up Wednesday morning, I fought all my motherly impulses and made sure that the first person who got a kiss from me was my husband (who was already up and getting emails out of the way). I noticed it was raining, a soft but steady rain...and I remembered how it was raining on my wedding day. Not a lot...but there was rain.

Even though I don't have a video of our ceremony, I still have lots of special memories -

I remember spending the night at my friend kim's house the night before we got married. (Now that I'm a mom, I can't beleive my parents let me do that! I'd want my baby girl's last night to be at my house! But anyway, thanks mom and dad... i don't even remember you being upset about it!)

I remember my best friend becky making a special trip to be the maid of honor. I'm ashamed to admit that now I can't remember if she was flying in from overseas or from college, but I knew she made a special effort to be there. (Now that I live overseas, I can't believe she was so willing to do that for me! anyway, thanks becky...just a few years late!)

I remember someone bringing me my "high-school" favorite lunch of a Grandy's chicken nugget meal after I was already dressed up in my finery. Does anyone remember who was responsible for that? I'd like to give a big shout out to whoever made that possible. Long live the Grandy's kids meal!

I remember meeting josh in the auditorium a few minutes before we took the official pictures before the ceremony. I remember the two of us giggling about how wild it was that we were about to be married. I remember the auditorium was empty - we had posted the groomsmen at the door so we could have a few special moments together - but somehow hudson had gotten left behind in his infant carrier... =)

I remember seeing my dad's misty eyes and him trying to pretend that he had nothing of the sort! =)

There were so many special people and things that happened that day. When I look back at all of that, I think - wow! we were so young! we were so idealistic! we were so crazy!

and some of that is true, but it's also true that we have had nine very special years together. We have grown together and laughed and cried and traveled and hiked and studied and had babies and painted and moved and I could go on and on.

I'm so thankful that God has matured our love and deepened our commitment to each other and to him. I'm thankful for a husband who loves me, but who loves God more and hears His voice. I'm thankful for a husband who pushes me on to be better and who encourages me when I don't feel like I want to be better. I'm thankful that he takes his responsibility to our family so seriously.

Josh, I love you. I love watching you laugh. I've learned to love watching you think. I love laughing with you and sharing our lives together. I love how you throw yourself wholeheartedly into all your endeavors. I've learned to warn you before you step with your socks in a puddle of water. I love the little things you do for me that show your love. God's plan for our lives to be joined together is so truly, wonderfully, divinely good.

Happy 9th, babe. Can you even believe how much we've done together? And there's so much more ahead...