Five Years Ago...

This morning as we were getting ready for the day, Brian asked if I remembered how I felt five years ago today. Why would that be an important day to remember? Because five years ago today was the last day we were single. And although our story goes back much further than five years ago, our journey as a married couple began five years ago tomorrow. It is a wonderful story, a story that I would gladly relive a thousand times. It is a story with no regrets and lots of fond memories.

I remember that Friday five years ago, the day before our wedding. We met at the church (where both my dad, sister, and I worked at the time- Dad as the business administrator and Faye and I as teachers at the academy), watched the intro video that had just come in the mail with my parents in my classroom, exchanged cars, and again went in our separate directions.

I went to pick up my wedding dress, got dressed and ready, got a pedicure and manicure, and went back home to get my bridesmaids' gifts before Brian came by to pick me up and meet my extended family on my mother's side for the first time before the rehearsal dinner.

He went to get an oil change and wash for my car, picked up the gift cards and thank you cards for his groomsmen, went back to his house to get ready before coming to my house to pick me up for the rehearsal dinner.

After the rehearsal, we sat at the back of the sanctuary to read our last Psalm together as our parents continued getting the sanctuary decorated. We had read backwards in the Psalms to help us count down the days to our wedding. We began 150 days before the wedding and were on Psalm 1 that evening. He then drove me home.

Because our parents were still at the church and only my cousins were home, he was not allowed to come inside the house. As he stood at the door, I ran to get a letter that I had written to him to send home with him on this night, just to remind him that I was honored to be marrying him. He asked if he could have a hug, but because I had not gotten prior permission from my parents (we had only hugged on five previous occassions- all with prior permission) for a hug that night, I told him to just wait until the next day when we could hug whenever we wanted.

That night I could not sleep for excitement. I went to my parents' room and climbed into bed next to my mother (I had never done that before). She and I eventually ended up in my room just talking through the night and eventually getting a couple hours of sleep towards early morning.

The next day was abslolutely perfect. It was every bride's dream. God allowed everything to go beautifully. None of us cried through the wedding, we were all just smiling big! I was pretty proud of my dad. He performed part of the ceremony along with the senior pastor of the church we had been attending, but he never cried. At the end of the ceremony, I received my very first kiss from the man who would forever be my husband. Right before the kiss, Brian whispered, "It was well worth the wait, Baby." And it was.

Now here we are, five glorious years later. We have purchased land, sold a house, bought a house, lost several loved ones, had a baby who God sent at the right time to bring joy where there had been heartache and loss, and who knows what is to come. I am looking forward with great anticipation for what God has in store for us in the future. I look forward to embarking on those adventures with God and my wonderful husband and love of my life. If the first 5 years have been this wonderful, I can't wait to enjoy the next 55 years with you, Brian.