Fourteen Years Ago Today...

...I was walking down the aisle. Right about now, as a matter of fact. After 5 years of dating/being engaged, we were finally going to be husband and wife! My dress was marvelous (bought on sale for $300--far less than many people I knew were spending!), my husband (who had been fishing all day) was NOT sunburned (thank goodness!), and the church was packed. I was so excited!!! My college roommate and my sisters stood with me in the beautiful dresses my mom had sewn and S.'s best friends were standing with him. Since we grew up in church together, we knew pretty much all the same people. It seemed that everyone we knew was in that room.

We left the reception and changed clothes before heading off on our honeymoon. S. would be leaving to go back to his ship in less than a week, but nothing could dampen our spirits! After a few days in San Antonio, we came home to a tiny one-bedroom apartment. I lived alone there for the first 6 months of our marriage, visiting back and forth at least once a month between here and California. Then, in February of 2004 S. came home from the Navy and we truly began our new life together.

We have lived in 3 different houses, attended 2 churches, owned too many vehicles to count (and several boats), worked around 8 different jobs, welcomed 2 beautiful baby girls into the world, buried too many relatives, and grown closer to each other with each passing year. When we were in our early twenties and getting ready to walk down that aisle, I could have never imagined how our lives would be 14 years later.

We are VERY, VERY blessed.

I know I am one of the most fortunate women I know to have a husband like S. I am looking forward to all the years to come.
Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!