11 Years and Counting...

Okay, you've gotta love the 'stach! For the record, Michael's mom and I both tried to talk him into shaving it off before the wedding to no avail. I chose this pic because the side profile is much better! To say that I am so happy in the life that Michael and I have together is an understatement. That man is such a gift to me! It's even more clear to me after these eleven years that he was made as my perfect match! We started out as friends, and to my surprise, became much more than that. I'll never forget the time that he visited me in Florida, and my view of him changed (you Troy grads remember the controversy we started). I was a bit naive, and didn't think that the time he spent with me was anything but platonic. And then one morning, I went into the guest bedroom to wake him up and saw him laying there asleep and thought "Oh no!" To give you ladies a glimpse into my mind, he was barebacked with big, muscular shoulders, complete with a tattoo. My mind thought "bow-chica-wow-wow!" I still tried to keep from spending any alone time with him, but he was very persistent and kept calling me. Poor Marla and Abby were my tag-a-longs every time I saw him, so that I could keep our relationship "friendly". Thank goodness, he got tired of that and asked me to dinner and added "and don't bring any friends with you!" About six months later, he told me he loved me and we both cried because we knew what that meant. I had alot of rules, and one was that I would only say "I love you" to the man I would marry. And though it may seem cheesy to say, I love him even more now than I did then. It is by God's grace that we have butted heads so many times and always forgiven each other as Christ forgave us. He has a gift for aggravating and I have a gift for responding badly and dramatically. I definately see my sinful heart much more clearly than before I married him! But that's a good thing! Thankfully, God has made us both able to apologize quickly and forgive quickly, too. Michael still makes me laugh and is still my best friend. And when I hear him sing songs for Leah to dance to, or when I watch him play ball with Luke, I think that he is so awesome all over again! And just in case this post isn't sappy enough for you, I've moved our song to the top of the playlist too!