April 9, 2004 (6 years and counting...)

Six years ago...
*Brett and I flew to Jamaica
*Picked the flowers, cake and location for our ceremony
*Counted down the days, hours and minutes until our BIG DAY

Six years ago...
*My dad walked me down the isle
*Gave away his only daughter
*Probably fought back many tears
Six years ago...
*My mom watched me grow from a young woman to a wife
*Watched her only daughter move 500 miles away from home
*Shed many tears

Six years ago...
*I stepped out on a leap of faith
*Married a beautiful, loving, hard working, Christian man
*Began the next chapter of my life

It's hard to believe it has been 6 years since we said 'I do'. I was 21 years old, Brett was 26 years old. We thought we had it all figured out back then. We honestly loved one another and that was all that mattered. We were beginning our very own perfect fairytale, working towards forever.

Looking back I am so very thankful to God for bringing Brett into my life and my heart. It was no small chance that we even met. Brett was just in town for the weekend on the night we met. At that time he was actually stationed at an air force base 500+ miles away. I honestly believe it was 'love at first site' for both of us because from that night forward we were basically inseparable (you know... despite there being 500+ miles separating us! lol) There is no doubt in my mind that God led us to another another and there is also no doubt in my mind that Brett led me towards God.

Six years ago I couldn't have even told you who Jesus was. I had heard of Jesus, yes..but I didn't really KNOW Jesus. We started reading the Bible together, going to church, praying with and for one another..etc. My love for God quickly grew and it was clear to see just how much I had missed out on all of those 21 years of my life prior to meeting Brett! I felt such a sense of worth when I read Gods "love letters" (aka; the Bible) - like I had finally found a place in this world. Life in general was starting to make more sense to me and certainly had a more profound meaning to it all.

I meant every word I said as we committed ourselves to God and one another on the day of our wedding. I took those vows to heart on so many levels. I meant when I said "for richer, or poorer...in good times and in bad..in sickness and in health..til death do us part" - though certainly nothing could have prepared me for the story that was yet to be written.

In the past six years we have;
Dealt with terrible financial hardships...
Been blessed with 4 absolutely beautiful daughters...
Made many joyous memories...
Laughed so hard we cried...
Loved when it didn't even feel right or easy...
Had the foundation of our marriage leveled to the ground...
Cared for a very sick little baby for 5 solid months...
Helplessly watched as she took her last breath...
Felt the sting of death as we said our goodbyes...
Found comfort in knowing that the "whys" won't matter when we see her again...
Kept pressing forward when we wanted to give up...
Moved at least 9 times...
Fought without words...
Fought with words...
Almost lost another baby due to a heart problem...
Started over from scratch...
Felt the burn of depression...
Made priceless memories...
Still learning to forgive without having to forget...
Still working on trust each and every day...
Still trying to love, laugh and smile even when its difficult...
Felt the tremendous amount of joy of having a healthy, full term baby...
Started to feel the warmth of the SON even when its raining...
Still working hard at loving selflessly...
Learned that sometimes its better to crawl along rather than make a mad dash...
Learned that the heart of a man can have more impact than the mouth of a man...
Witnessed that Gods hands are bigger than any of our problems...


And last but not least we have learned...

That we still have a lot of learning left to do!!!

(((To my darling husband. I love you. I love being your wife and the mother of your children. I love walking hand in hand with you through this wonderful, confusing, sometimes heart wrenching journey called life. My love for you is so much deeper than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for being you. Thank you for loving me and these precious little girls each and every day. We love you to the 'moon and back'!! X's and O's)))






"Mr and Mrs"



"April 9, 2004"


"Can't figure out why we are sideways, but still love this picture! lol"



"I DO"



"Dipping our toes"


"Feeling like a princess"


"Washing away the sand"



"Honeymoon"