Seventeen Years of Marriage!

I can't believe Brian and I have been married for 17 years today! Are we really that old? Course, we were pretty young to start with. Here we are 17 years ago:

We were such babies! Okay, okay, for the record I was 17. That means I've now been married half my life. Crazy! Anyway, this picture was taken after the reception. I had changed out of my wedding dress (obviously) and we were getting ready to go out and get rice thrown at us. Brian had given me a kiss and his Aunt Brenda (who took our wedding pictures) said, "Do that again." We held this for awhile as she fiddled with the camera. Right as she took the picture Brian mumbled through his smile, "Take the picture." LOL. So I think of that every time I look at this. I love this picture.

You know, after so many years together, I almost have too many thoughts to organize into anything cohesive. I'm happy we've made it this far. I'm amazed at all the life experiences we've shared together, and I wonder what still lies ahead of us. We're no longer the naive kids we started out to be, heading off to Illinois with no job and (as we would soon discover) no place to live. Back then, things like that didn't scare us in the least, because we believed nothing could go wrong and we were just happy to be together.

Now that we're older and wiser (you know, a tiny bit wiser) we look at the future with joy and hope, but also with a better understanding of what kinds of trials life can throw at you. Sometimes the future is scary (particularly as we worry over our children), but even though we no longer believe nothing can go wrong, after all this time we're still just happy to be together. "For better or for worse" has an entirely different meaning now than it did 17 years ago. It isn't a vague notion you struggle to grasp. We've lived it, and will continue to live it. No matter what the future brings, no matter what joys and what sorrows, we'll face it together, side by side.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

I truly love my husband. Brian is caring, affectionate, patient, understanding, considerate, funny, intelligent, cheerful... I could go on. He always remembers to show appreciation for what I do and never complains if the house gets too messy. I feel like his concern for me is always in the front of his mind. He never makes me feel rushed if I want to spend the afternoon at the bookstore or go out for yogurt with my friends. He supports me in everything I do, whether that means getting off work early and watching the kids so I can teach Art Masterpiece, or encouraging me and assuring me he doesn't mind if I spent hours each day scribbling away at a novel. We're deep friends, and our favorite thing to do together is still just to talk. Whenever we resolve to go to bed earlier and get the proper amount of sleep, always our biggest hurdle is stopping our conversation instead of going on for another hour. Brian is a good provider and embraces his role as a father, actively striving to raise these boys into confident, righteous young men. He honors his priesthood and does what he should to keep the Lord in our marriage and in our home. I'm so grateful for that.

I don't know what the next 17 years will bring, but I know that as long as we turn to the Lord and face them together, there will always be joy in our hearts. Happy Anniversary Sweetheart.