The one my heart loves...

There is no question that Mark is the man that God created me for. I wish the journey to him had had a few fewer distractions, nevertheless, I thank God for each day that brought me to the moment that I knew he was the one.

It seems crazy that it was 12 years ago {when I hardly knew who he was} that I was invited to tag along on a weekend trip to his house by some mutual friends {who I'm quite sure knew what was potentially brewing}. Twenty four hours later {thanks to those same friends} I was riding in the cab of a truck with him back to Malone. That hour and a half was all it took for me to know that he was the man I was going to marry.

It seems crazy that it was 10 years ago that he sat {shivering} next to me on a couch at my parents' house at the end of July. I couldn't figure out why he would be cold on the hot evening until a few minutes later when he got down on one knee in front of me.

It seems crazy that it was 9 years ago that {with butterflies in our stomachs and tears in our eyes} we pledged faithfulness to one another. We had no idea what the future held, we just knew we wanted to find out together.

Nine years {4 babies, 756 sleepless nights, 2 houses, 1 back surgery, and 8 football/cross-country and track seasons} later, I have never once felt the need to look back and wonder. While I do cling to many memories we've made through the last nine years, I know they are only the beginning of our story.

Mark balances out my emotionalness (is that a word?). He stands consistent in the face of my mood swings and has never once lost his temper with me, even though I have with him. He has amazing eyes. He makes every effort to understand my insecurities. He tells me on a regular basis {with all sincerity} that I'm beautiful. He gave me four of the most beautiful kids on the face of the planet. He doesn't need a special day of the year to show me or tell me how much he loves me...he does it all the time by being present and investing in me and our kids. He has sexy legs. He has to be the most selfless husband and father I have ever met. He probably is also one of the most capable fathers I know {I still recall, with awe, that he was the first one to take care of our one year old and one week old alone...while I went to the ER with some mysterious internal infection}. He understands why our house is almost always a mess or why he sometimes has to dig through a laundry basket to find a clean t-shirt {and has never once made me feel bad about it}. He loves the Lord with all his heart.

I could go on and on. I am blessed with more than I could have asked for. "...when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go..." Song of Solomon 3:4