Today is mine and my wife's 11th anniversary. We had plans tonight for a dinner out with no kids, but alas, Maria has a sinus infection and 2 of the three kids are sick. Oh well.
It's hard to understand where 11 years have gone. It's been a wild journey through 2 states, 10 jobs between us, 4 apartments and a house (plus a brief stint in my sisters basement), 6 cats, 3 kids, 8 cars/vans, 2 swing sets, lots of joys and a few sorrows. Looking back, it's also a bit amazing that in a short 9 months of 1992 I was able to decide that Maria was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It seems like such a short time to make such a monumental decision. Even more amazing is how right I was, more right than I could have imagined at the time. I was absolutely certain at the time that she was the right one, and knew she was amazing, but looking back I really had no idea the blessing she would turn out to be. I truly stand in awe of God, who answered my prayers of that year for a wife by giving me the perfect mate. She has turned out to be more than I asked for or imagined (and I thought I had asked for and imagined a lot!).
She's an amazing woman with amazing passion and drive. Her ability to take on 4 times as much as I would try and get most of it done still amazes me. She keeps me on track, constantly reminding me of things I've forgotten and pushing me at times to reach higher rather than lower. My life would be absolutely empty and bland without her. She's just another example of God's graciousness to me that I would get her. (I'm not sure what it says about God's graciousness to her!) I love you, honey, and happy anniversary.
Isn't it interesting how you can marry someone and only after several years realize just how well suited they are to you? When I married Carrie just over 10 years ago, I did it for all the wrong reasons. But now I realize that she is perfect for me. Our personalities and strengths complement eachother in areas of weakness. Ironically, we dated only 8 months before I proposed. If I have anything to thank God for in life, it is for pushing me into a relationship that by all rights I couldn't possibly have known would be so good for me.