On This Day Three Years Ago

I can vaguely remember just about everything that happened on this very day, three years ago.

I woke up early when my alarm went off and just lay in bed for a few moments. I had to remind myself to soak in every detail of the day. I thanked the LORD that I was alive and that my life was gonna totally change that day.

Then, I got up and immediately started getting ready. I bathed and made sure to shave my legs really well. I threw just a light touch of make-up for confidence's sake. All my girls and I went downstairs to the lobby of the hotel and ate some continental breakfast. Then, my sister and I were out the door and on our way to get our hairs did. It was rainy and chilly. And yet, it was such a beautiful day.

Afterward, we stopped off at the good ol' Chick-fil-a and picked up our large order of nuggets and fruit and sweet tea. Then we went across the street to Walgreen's because I had to have real coffee and I bought some Excedrin migraine as a precaution.

Next, we were on our way to the church. I remember calling my mom on the way and having to talk her down from a ledge because her hair lady messed up her hair..."big" time. ;)

We arrived at the church to eat some nuggets and continue the marathon of getting ready. Make-up, dress, touching up hair, touching up make-up. Then we took lots of pictures. Then we did some more touch-ups.

Next, my closest and dearest friends surrounded me and prayed over me. What a precious time. I was chill the whole time.

Anticipation grew as we filed out of the dressing room and into the foyer of the church. I got a quick peek inside the sanctuary. The hand-picked music was playing and the pews were filled with smiling faces. It was decorated so perfectly.

My closest friends began the walk down the isle. They closed the doors in my face. When they opened them again, a thickness of suspense came rushing out the doors from the guest. And from that one man standing in front. I grabbed my dad's arm and we walked. And I smiled. And he cried. And that one man smiled. Maybe he cried too.

We stated our promises. We gave tokens. We lit a candle. We kissed. We rejoiced. We kissed some more. We smiled. We laughed. We posed for pictures. We gave thanks to the LORD. We ate. We danced. We drove away.

I could go on. Moment by moment. Detail after detail. I remember all...well... most of it.
It was one of the greatest days of my life. Yes, there were a few minor details that didn't go according to plan or how I had envisioned it happening. But it was still a day packed full of sweet, sweet memories. Ones that I could never forget. And just in case I do, I've made a point to write them down here.

Dear Love of my Life,
Three whole years. Can you believe it? Sometimes I feel like it's been twenty...in a good way. But I know this is still just the beginning. And I love that. To me, it means that we still have so much life ahead of us. Thinking through everything we've done and gone through in the last three years, all the ups and downs, makes me wonder what the next three or twenty or sixty years of life will look like.
We've experienced so many joyous moments. Times of that deep-belly kind of laughter. Times when we were left speechless and in awe of the way God worked things out. We've made many sweet memories together. We've relished many triumphs and victories. And have seen the LORD bring hope and beauty to people's lives (including our own) that we couldn't even imagine.
We've also experienced heartache together. And frustration. And confusion. Sometimes because of each other. We've experienced what seemed like endless lack and the tunnels of darkness that seemed to have no end in sight. We've plowed through the hard grounds of ministry. We've made mistakes. We've disappointed each other.
All in three years.
All the good. All the bad. And there's no one else in the world I would ever want to experience any of this with but you. We said, "For better or for worse. In sickness and in health. For richer or poorer." I meant it. I know you did too.
I love our life together. Could we try harder? Change habits? Learn from mistakes? Make more of an effort sometimes? Stop and really listen more? Definitely. But I love our life together. I love that I get to learn the ups and downs of marriage...and life in general, with you. I love that we have so much more life ahead of us to learn. Are you excited? I am.
I love you.
Happy Anniversary,

Yo Baby Mama :)