In the beginning...

It all started in 2005.  (Please ignore time stamp on photo.  It was not 2 am : )    ).  We were actually about to head to 5 Points to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  I (think) I had just finished my student teaching at Brent's school.  We just started dating in March so we had not been seeing each other long at all.  We just look comfortable with each other because we knew that this was different.

After dating 9 months, we flew to stay with his parents in Connecticut.  It was the first time I met them, and I loved them right away (of course, they helped make Brent who he is today).  Brent and I took the train into NY for a night.  I won't go into all of the amazing places we were able visit and things we were able to do in such a short amount of time, but the most amazing thing that occurred was our engagement!  On December 19, 2005- the same date that our son, 3 years later, would decide to enter the world- Brent got down on one knee.  Of course, I said YES!  This photo shows us right after the proposal in front of the Rockefeller tree!  Believe me, it was FREEZING, that's the only reason I would have my glove off.  : ) 

Six months after our engagement, on June 3, 2006, we were married at the First Baptist Church, Orangeburg, SC.  It was a beautiful day and I honestly can't remember another day that all of my favorite people were gathered in the same building.  Brent and I both take our marriage seriously.  A preacher once said, "Put your focus and your attention on your spouse, and your children will turn out just fine."  We firmly believe in this.  As Asher and our future child(ren) grow, we have agreed that they will know the value of "our" time.  We will not wait until they go to bed to connect and catch up on our day but do it while they are awake.  We made a decision to be with each other and there is no other option.  We agreed that the "d word" would be removed from our vocabulary.  Yes, we have amazing times and a secure love, but we also have issues.  Best friends have issues.  Families have issues.  We know that no matter the issue, with communication, prayer, and effort...all will be well in the end.  So, we take things day by day, often have to remind ourselves to be appreciative, and after 3 months we're still on Day 4 of The Love Dare. And we're OK with that...

So, why the walk down memory lane you wonder?  Yesterday we celebrated 4 years of marriage.  When I say it, it doesn't sound long at all.  I had a post in the works that would show our past 4 anniversaries but something went wrong after loading the photos and I've just lost motivation for now.  So, instead I'll leave you with:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

                                                                                                              - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7


I heard once to see if "I" can replace "love" in this verse:
"I am patient, I am kind. I do not envy, I do not boast, I am not proud. I am not rude, I am not self-seeking, I am not easily angered, I keep no record of wrongs. I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. I always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere."

I've got a lot of work to do!