Thankful Thursday

Today I'm beginning a new chapter in my blogging fun by joining the very popular "Thankful Thursday" movement! I think it's a wonderful idea and will definately be good for me to think about all that I'm thankful for:) I have to admit that it was really hard to narrow down to just one thing that I'm thankful for today because I feel sooo blessed! But I think there's one person in my life who deserves the spotlight today.......my wonderful husband, M!

M & I met in December of 1999 through one of my dearest friends and college roommate, Janell. From the very first time we met, I knew that M was going to be "the one"! Now, it wasn't in the "mushy" way and it wasn't "love at first sight". It was more like a sense of quiet peace that I was with the person I had been searching for. Of course, being the more cautious one in relationships, I didn't mention this to M. But it turns out, I didn't need to! On one of our first dates, he told me that I was the kind of girl he had been searching for and the kind of girl he would love to marry. What a guy!! I remember being so excited and then having the most lame response ever........all I said was "Would you like to meet my cat?". I really choked! Luckily, M didn't even seem to notice my silly response to his heartfelt words:) We got engaged 6 months later in June 2000 and then married in March 2001! It was a whirlwind romance and one of the happiest times of my life! The above picture is our engagement picture from November 2000.

During our 7 years together, M and I have been through so many things.....infertility, the death of our dear brother-in-law, Adam, job losses, my illnesses and our adoption ups and downs. We've had moments when our love for each other was tested beyond what either of us thought we could survive. But M's love and faithfullness has never waivered! He is still the kindest, most patient, most committed husband I could ever ask for. His loyalty to me and to our marriage is so amazing. In a world where marriages rarely survive, especially in the circumstances we've faced, I feel even more blessed to have M in my life. I took a little journey back through my old pictures, and found some really fun ones of the year when we were dating and engaged. It seems so long ago! Enjoy the walk through memory lane:)

This picture is of us at Ocean City, MD in August 2000.



This is a picture of us a few minutes before I left for a mission's trip to Guatemala in June 2000. M and I had just gotten engaged a few days earlier!



This is a picture of us on one of our first dates in the winter of 2000.



This is a picture of us in June 2000 on my sister's wedding day to Adam. Adam has since gone home to be with Jesus after a tragic hunting accident in January 2003.