We said "I do."
Always and forever.
Through thick and thin.
We're both better for it, and more in love than we were on that day.
He still makes me laugh 'till I'm rolling on the floor,
and somehow he thinks I'm more beautiful than ever.
Still best of friends. Still committed to always and forever. Still perfect for each other.
And now with lots of memories together.
Flat, flat Iowa
Dark basement apartment with a squeaky old chair rocking upstairs
Rollercoaster anniversary, BLTs, Halo and A8
Sneak attack hugs
Smokey burnt donuts, aggravating unemployment, slightly nosy landlords and concrete shower
Ridiculously opposite work schedules
Colorado mountains
Good friends and good times with Settlers and Mr. P's
The Great Western Road Trip
Poor seminary scholars
Pure, lovely Michigan
Spacious Red Brick townhouse
Church ministry, enchiladas, Avatar and Johnny Carino's
Stressful studies, frustrations in ministry, spiders in the basement
Chatting on Facebook while sitting next to each other in class
Warm sandy beaches and wading in the waves
BABY! (Surprise!!)
Lots and lots of brownies and crab rangoons
Direction and discernment
The joys and challenges of parenthood
Date nights in exchange for Greek tutoring
Good friends and good times sharing life together
(Still) Poor seminary family
Big city life in Oregon
Small cozy apartment
Family gatherings, brats on the grill, Gundam, Avengers and Baja Fresh
Camping trips at the beach, park adventures, enjoying our little girl
Sending flirty text messages
Phd applications, stress, GRE, stress, feeling like strangers who meet on occasion
Date nights at Koi Fusion (while watching our daughter on the playground)
Rocky coastline and gorgeous views of the mountains
BABY #2!
Adventures in trusting God and finding Him faithful
More joys and challenges of parenthood
Getting to know our little boy
Good friends and good times on the pre-Phd journey together
We've learned that marriage (and parenting) is more about holiness than happiness, that laughter always makes things better, that open and honest communication is necessary for survival, and that life will always be hard in one way or another. It is how we deal with it that is important. We've learned that God is faithful and has always provided for our needs, every step of the way. We've learned that though we are poor in some ways, we are rich in faith, family and love.
And yet we know we still have many ways to grow. We need to be reminded (often) to look after the other before seeking out personal needs...and if we both do it equally, it will be a beautiful balance. We need to remember to communicate with grace and act in ways that best show love to the other. We need to make space and time for Us. We need to find time to pray together daily for each other and for our children. We need to live out the knowledge that intimacy with Jesus individually will grow more intimacy between us, and give us wisdom and grace to be better parents.
Zachary Alan Poppen, I love you more than words can say. I thank God for bringing you into my life, for these seven years together and for many more to come.
Happy Anniversary, Babes!
Always and forever,
Yours
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