11 Years Later

My favorite wedding picture

Today is my 11th anniversary.

I'm not sure how that happened - 11 years is a LONG time! I feel like I'm not old enough to have been married 11 years, but here we are.

As I spent some time thinking about our 11 years together, it amazed me to think about how much our love has changed. When we started dating 14 (what!?) years ago, we were so young. 16 & 19. We were best friends, but so in love. In our wedding pictures 3 years later, we look like babies! I didn't feel young then, but now I think back on it & realize that we were just beginning our lives. Many people thought we were too young to build a marriage that would last. We had no life experience. We just knew that we were in love & wanted to get married as soon as possible. That love was strong & passionate, full of young dreams.

Most of the wedding party before the reception.

Now, 11 years later, the love is still there, but it is different. It is so much deeper now. While Derrick & I are still best friends, we are now also partners in life. We are each other's other half. We work together so well. We are each other's cheerleader, support, counselor. When we committed to "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health" 11 years ago, we didn't know how much of that would be true. Life has not always been roses & rainbows. Marriage is hard work, even when it is with your best friend. Feelings get hurt, money runs out, people get sick. Sometimes God reroutes your plans right in the middle of your comfortable life. No matter what the future holds, Derrick & I are commited to each other.

Spring 2007 (I think)

One of the things that Derrick mentioned about our wedding was that he loved something that was part of my vows. We didn't write our own vows, but just let Pastor Bill do whatever he normally did. I don't remember all of my vows, but one line was "You are the husband of my choosing." 11 years later, it is still true. Derrick is the husband of my choosing. I don't know if I love him more than I did the day we were married, but the love now is so much stronger than it was then. As we are headed out into a new adventure together with our boys, I am excited to see how God uses us as we do what he has called us to! We are in this together, until death shall part us - and that is an exciting place to be!

Fall 2014