Happy Anniversary!

Today Nathan and I are celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary. I love to use special dates, like our anniversary, to think back over the time the Lord has given us together.

14 of my favorite memories from our married life:

• Our wedding day! The day we committed to love each other for the rest of our lives! I praise God for the grace He has given us to strengthen our marriage and our commitment to our vows during these 14 years.
• Our honeymoon at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC. What a wonderful week that was!
• Our first year of marriage! After being apart for 3 years we were so excited to be married and in the same place. We had so much fun during the time we had together that first year (we were actually apart for 6 months of it because of military deployments and schools).
• Myrtle Beach - our favorite South Carolina get-away. We have so many memories from there. I can't wait to take our kids there someday.
• Celebrating our 2nd anniversary in the most luxurious bed & breakfast in Ashville. That little get-away sparked a dream that we have to one day operate a Christian bed & breakfast/conference center. (If I recall correctly, that was the same trip we hiked Chimney Mountain - and I had 3 broken ribs!)
• Preparing to move to CA during our 4th year of marriage. It was a bittersweet time. We were so sad to be leaving the Carolinas, but excited for the new adventure the Lord had before us. It is awesome to look back and see God's faithfulness to us through that time of transition.
• Camping in Sequoia on our 5th anniversary. We talked about where we thought we would be in 5 years and then in 10 years. We are quickly approaching that 10 year mark and boy were we off in our guesses!
• Skiing together in the Austrian Alps (and getting lost).
• Spending 4 months together in Israel. It was a very challenging time for us in our marriage, but God was so gracious to use it to strengthen us and create so many wonderful memories at the same time. We learned so much during that time.
• Traveling through Eurpoe together. So many memories and things we learned through our travels, about ourselves, and the world around us. We were so thankful for the many opportunities we had to travel.
• The birth of our first child, Micah. It was such a joy to see that little one who looked so much like his Daddy!
• Recounting God's grace in our lives following my health complications after Micah's birth. God used that time to really teach us to depend upon Him and His sovereignty.
• Nathan's seminary graduation. I was so proud to help him celebrate the finish of 5 years of hard labor!
• Watching Nathan holding his little girl, and celebrating the end of that rather difficult pregnancy!!

Nathan, I am so thankful the Lord has given you to me as my husband. I am blessed to be your wife! Thank you for loving me and leading me for the past 14 years! I can't wait to see what the next 14 years will bring. :) I love you Nathan!