handsful

This past Saturday, Randy and I celebrated 17 years of marriage.  That sounds like such a long time!  20 seems just around the corner.  We actually began dating in 1985, so we realized that we will have been together a total of 25 years next year.  Gracious! 

Randy surprised me with a slideshow complete with music that he created the night before our anniversary…come to find out, he stayed up ALL night making it.  What a sweetheart.  It was great, and I held back the tears during the whole thing.  The kids loved seeing all the pictures of me as a little girl leading up to us dating, marrying, and having our brood of kids.  It was the best anniversary present EVER. 

The girls decided that our anniversary deserved a cake, so they made this while we were out at a baby shower that day.  Pink frosting, baby blue cake (someone had fun with the food coloring…), the wolf represents Randy’s college (everything always comes back to NC State somehow), and they found a stray “1” candle and added 7 others.  How sweet is that??  We saved the cake until after we all got home from our wonderful steak dinner out.  

 

Why I love him…

He’s my best friend.  I know most everyone says that about their husbands, but he really is.  I prefer an evening spent with my husband over any other option.

 

He makes me laugh all the time…one of the first things I loved about him all those years ago is still true (more so!) today. 

 

He’s generous with the resources that God has blessed him with, and enjoys doing for others – what’s not to love about that? 

 

He’s a fantastic dad, with a great relationship with all the kids.  He balances firm discipline with all-out, crazy fun. 

 

He endures ME!  My constant to-do list suggestions (some would call it nagging, I prefer not to), my simplistic cooking skills, my “how can I handle all this today” rants.  He loves me completely – just as I am – and I can’t say how much that means to me. 

 

He loves Jesus.  As much as his “I can do it all” self tries to push him, he strives to lay it all at God’s feet and accept when things don’t go his way.  And, he’s quick to give God the glory when things do. 

To quote Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice “The man next to me is the one I want.  You asked me.  I’m answering.  Yes, I love that man of mine.”  :)