Then & Now

Sunday, April 27 is our 17th Wedding Anniversary! I decided to take a stroll down memory lane this morning and look at my dress and all the mementos that go with a wedding but my stroll quickly turned to a jog and then a run as kids started coming out of the woodwork! My quiet moment of reflection turned into 120 questions! Here are a few examples:

1. You really fit into that dress?
2. Why do you wear that thing around your leg?
3. Daddy really took it off your leg . . . gross!
4. You kissed in front of everybody?

Our wedding week and day was quite exciting. My bible study group through a surprise bridal shower for me - I wasn't going to go to the study because I was still moving into our "love shack". My precious friend, Lorri, who is now with Jesus, told me she would help me move just to come on! I showed up in cut-off shorts! My sweet friends truly blessed me!

I was at the church that Friday afternoon, decorating and doing the things you do before your wedding day but I had intended to run back to the "love shack" to pick up a few more things around 4:00pm. One thing led to another and I didn't get out of the church in time so I had just enough time to change and get ready for rehearsal. This was fun, had its stressful moments - Rick's Uncle Wes and his girlfriend, Chris prepared most of the food for our gathering after rehearsal so that was a blessing also.

We head back to Steve & Lorri's house (our pastor/wife - and where I am living) because I need to starch and put in a good "Cowboy" crease on the wranglers the groom/groomsmen will be wearing at the wedding. We just hung out and watched the news because there had been storms all around. I had NO idea of the magnitude of the storms. Several of our wedding party risked life & limb to get to us, driving through multiple tornados! I was oblivious because I was getting married! Haysville, Kansas was hit by this tornado and 30% of the community wiped out - and the entire town of Andover, Kansas was flattened! Gone! We sat there stunned - we had no idea that devastation happened while I was decorating the church!

Needless to say, the calm is always beautiful after the storm and my wedding day was glorious! A perfect spring day! And I was getting married to an incredible person - I didn't know how incredible until 17 years later.

At 21, you look at the boy-man you are going to marry and you have no idea the kind of real man he'll become. You just hope and pray that God has prepared him for the awesome task that lay ahead - being the spiritual leader of your home, the lover of your life, the father to your children, the provider for your table, the payer of your bills, the encourager when you fail, the wiper of your tears, the sharer in your birth pains, the constant breathing at night in your bed! I think about all the many women I know who complain constantly about their husbands and I make sure to tell my husband over and over how thankful I am that he takes care of me and his children! That is the awesome responsibility God laid before him and he is doing a great job!

This is not a fantastic picture of us, but I absolutely love Rick's smile! I can rarely catch him with a smile like this! He is pretty reserved until you really get to know him! I think he might be having a good time with me right now! We are at a Christmas party Boy . . . he looks good in jeans or a suit/tie!
This is one of my favorite pictures of Rick. He loves to shoot - not much on hunting, doesn't really take the time for it - but if he can have guys & gals over for a shoot fest, he's all for it. I think this picture just says . . . well . . . YUM! We have a hot date scheduled for Saturday night! I can't wait!

When Rick asked me to marry him, he had determined that if we were going to follow Christ, we would do it with everything we had. I was willing and when he asked, I said yes. I haven't looked back or doubted my decision EVER!

I've included a link to a song on YouTube that we had sung at our wedding. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjj1mLa_38