Thank you.....

James and I celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary in less than an hour...Yes..I am up late blogging...I am off work tonight...thankfully...and decided to take advantage of the down time...all the little ones are asleep, and James is working on his football plays....The highlight of my day today, was when I got the mail...I had a card that was addressed to me...and so I proceeded to open it...I love email..so you can only imagine how happy I was over "real mail"...Makes me smile...So, I opened it, and it was from my Prayer Sister at my church (in case you don't know what a prayer sister is...it is a group of women at my church that exchange names at Christmas, and you get a sister to pray for over the course of the next year....or get little gifts for, send cards, ect...) It was an anniversary card...that was so sweet...but the best part was it had a gift certificate in it for Chop House...Yippee!!! My favorite restaurant....I was so happy....So, Honey...you know where we are going for dinner.....I am excited...The next part of this post...is for James...Love you Honey...

I just want to thank you James for being my best friend...and sharing the last 14 years of your life with me...They may not have all been perfect...but you have stood by me, no matter what...Sometimes when I look back at all of the things we have been through together, it amazes me that we are still together...We have come so far, I can remember when you told me you loved me...and I was floored...thinking to myself...there is no way I can tell him that I love him...Boy, was I wrong...=) We were friends first...and I think that is the way it should be...We got to know each other, and slowly, over time, begin to fall in love...Thank you for all that you do for our family...For being such a wonderful father to our kids, and for providing for us like you have, and still do...Thank you for coaching my boys when they played sports...and for taking my daughter out on "special date nights" with her daddy...Thank you for playing in the floor with the kids...Thank you for cleaning up puke in the middle of the night, because you know if I touched it, I would be vomiting next.....Thank you for washing the clothes, even if you only lay them out flat on top of the dryer, instead of putting them up...It still helps that they are clean..Thank you for valuing church..and being the leader of our family..and making sure that our family is in church whenever the doors are open...even when sometimes, we want to stay home...Thank you for helping me with the "homework sagas"..there have been many of them...but we got through them somehow...together....Thank you for understanding how much going to the beach means to me...and even though you hate sand...taking me there every year...Thank you for knowing how much I love photography...and for standing beside me as my business grows...Thank you for going to the last 2 weddings I photographed, and helping me..being my assistant...Thank you for carrying our kids to bed at night, because they have fallen asleep on the couch...and kissing each one of them..Thanks for calling to see if I want a coffee when you have had to work over, and are on your way home...Thank you for having a caring heart for others...So many people in our world don't...but you do...Thank you for not being afraid to cry...or show emotion...I could go on and on...and never finish all of the thank yous that I owe you....But Most of all....Thank you for loving me. I can be difficult to love, and I know that...But my family means more to me than anyone would ever know...except for you...and you know, because you feel the same way...We don't spend as much alone time together as we should...It is difficult with 3 small children...but regardless of that...I still love you...I remember the vows we took, and they mean as much to me today, as they did 14 years ago...Thank you for making my life what it is today. With God, in the center of our marriage, we can only grow stronger together........I love you, James...Happy Anniversary...