Eight

Date: August 23, 2003.
Setting: Christian Life Church in Minnesota.
Event: Our wedding.

I was an eighteen year old bride, marrying the most amazing man I'd ever met. Our story is pretty unique. I was his pen-pal. At age sixteen I felt like the Lord was asking me to write someone in the military. I called up Chris' dad as he was our worship pastor at church and I knew his son was training to become some sort of super hero that kills people with just his pinkie. I got Chris's address and wrote my first letter.

When I received one back I couldn't believe it. He filled page after page with the most amazing stories of his training, followed with how he'd love to meet me for the first time when he came home on leave in December. I was nervous. I was freaking out.

I knew this was the man I was going to marry and I hadn't even met him yet.

He came home, we met, fell in love, and then he left again. This has been a common theme in our marriage as the war takes him away from me, but let me tell you I wouldn't have it any other way. Our dating consisted of letter after letter, many hours on the phone, and a few short periods of face to face time. He proposed a year to the date of our first letter. I finished high school and married him that summer.



And while we've only celebrated one anniversary together, there has been much to celebrate in our eight years of marriage.







I remember asking Chris's dad if the "seven year itch" was true. His response? "Only if you scratch it." Chris has been gone a total of five years out of our eight years together, and when I looked back through our family album it was hard to find pictures of us together. The ones I did find, however, are full of amazing stories and great times we've spent together.













We welcomed our sweet little boy into our family almost two years ago. This little person has made Chris an even more amazing man. Watching him being a dad makes me love him even more, and my respect meter is through the roof for him as he trains and plays with our kiddo.







"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate." ~Barnett R. Brickner







Squish, thank you for your love. Thank you for being a stable, unshakable man. My heart still flutters when I see you. I'm incredibly grateful for your leadership in our home, your work ethic and drive to succeed, and most of all...your relationship with our son. You're an amazing father and I'm blessed to be your wife.

I love you with all my heart. Happy anniversary.