Celebrating Ten Years

This past week Brian and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. It has truly been a wonderful ten years. I am overwhelmed with gratitude when I reflect on the past ten years and can sincerely say that I am exceedingly blessed to have Brian as my husband.

Brian has amazed me in every aspect. Brian desires to please God in all he does; I am grateful for a husband who pursues a close walk with the Lord. Brian puts my needs above his own and sacrificially cares for me. He is an intentional father to our children and seeing him as a dad has brought about an even deeper love and respect for him. He is kind and affectionate and finds creative ways to help me and show love to me.

To commemorate our anniversary, we had a special date night planned. My mom was scheduled to watch the kids for the evening and Brian was going to surprise me with the venue. After getting in the car, Brian announced that he had dinner reservations at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. This was significant because sixteen years ago, after I spent a summer abroad on a missions trip, we had a date at this very restaurant. It was definitely dining at its finest. We enjoyed the meal and the ambiance and then as we were finishing up Brian handed me an envelope and explained that he had written a letter to me. As I read the letter, I realized what a special gift this was. Three handwritten pages from the person I love most detailing what he loves most about me. As I finished the letter Brian put a little gift box on the table and said that he had a "little" something for me. We had agreed that we weren't doing gifts. To my amazement and complete surprise I opened the box to find a beautiful diamond ring. Brian designed the setting to symbolize the six different things he had mentioned in the letter. I was overwhelmed by Brian's thoughtfulness and this gesture of his love for me. It was a special night and one of our most memorable dates ever.

I am immeasurably grateful for my husband, Brian. What a wonderful ten years it has been...