I met my husband back in January of 2006. Reminiscing about our journey together has been overwhelming.
When Nick and I became friends, love, marriage, or the thought of a relationship scared me to death. It didn’t take long to see Nick was different, but I still just wanted his friendship alone. We see how well that worked out for me.
Moment of realization:
My parents had come to pick up my little brother and his friend from my house. Mom and I were talking in the kitchen when song erupted from the living room. My father and Nick were singing together while Nick strummed sweet hymns on his guitar. If my dad was that comfortable with him right away, then I needed to open my eyes and drop my guard.
Nick’s side: (told to me five years ago) “We were at McDonalds, after your soccer game, with Jamie and Nichole. Do you remember that black purse you had? With those black sequins? I was snatching those off of it to make aggravate you. You kept telling me to stop and then all of a sudden you wrapped your arm into mine to hold it down. I knew I was falling in love with you and that this was it… no more looking.”
We have been inseparable since the day I begged him to take a camping class with me. He has been stealing my heart day after day, causing me to fall deeper in love with him.
The first year of our marriage was not an easy one, but with God’s grace and protection we made it through with flying colors. Ha. We learned a lot about ourselves and our relationship.
We have grown in our love for Christ and He has continued to strength our marriage. He has allowed trials to cause us heartache and remind us why we need Him.
We have learned how to communicate well, to be loved, to selflessly serve, and to be vulnerable. We have laughed… A LOT! No one makes me laugh like you do. You learned that I am secretly a dinosaur nerd. I have learned that you are way more of a redneck than I ever realized.
You have spurred me on in my relationship with Christ when there have been moments I have wanted to throw in the towel. I know I have also done the same for you. You’ve held my head up above water when I was drowning in sorrow. You’ve challenged me to chase my dreams and given me that opportunity time and time again.
You believe in me! I will never be able to put into words what that means to me!
You make me feel beautiful. I always feel proud to be the woman on your arm and the woman who gets to stand by your side and raise a family with you. I take pride in the fact that you love me.
You are not just an incredible husband, but an indescribable father. We have been a firm foundation for our family and that is because of Jesus Christ in you. We see Him everyday in you and through you. Zeke is lucky to have you as an example of what a man should be, as well as a husband, and father. keep up the good work!
You once told me that you’d make me believe in fairy tale romances. You have kept that promise. We live in one every single day. At times that fairy tale has been filled with lots of twist and turns, but story is worth reading without adventures and hardships. 😉
Cheers, my darling, to many more years of adventure, hardships, joy, kisses, laughter, and selfless love. May God always be the center of this life we live.
I love you with all of my heart!
Happy 7th Anniversary!
xoxo
IVEY VINE ADVENTURES 