8 Years

We celebrated eight years of marriage today.

It hasn't been an easy eight years.

But, I suppose, the difficulties and challenges we've faced, many very unique, have made us stronger and more united.
In fact, sometimes we're shocked it's only been 8 years - it feels like a lot of lifetimes when we consider all we have experienced so far in our marriage.

Want to know how to build a strong marriage?

Surround yourselves with people who support your marriage.  Surround yourself with people who will speak truth to your marriage.

Surround yourself with people who love you and your spouse and who want success for your marriage.

A friend told me once that she knew people were praying for Ellie and Will and their unique needs.  Therefore, she felt convicted to pray for our marriage.  How thankful we are for those who recognize that the enemy would like to destroy our family by destroying our marriage.  He would like to speak defeat to us - to overwhelm us with enormous medical bills and piles of insurance paperwork, with the emotional stress of numerous doctors appointments and impending surgery decisions, with calendars with little room for each other because they are full with therapies and doctors.

Though we have known intense challenges and though our marriage often feels so stretched and like we have nothing left for each other at the end of a long day, we are committed to each other and to this family and to refusing to give up.

We used to ask God on our anniversaries to give us a more relaxed year in the next year.  But, after several very intense years (R's multiple emergency surgeries, high risk pregnancies, miscarriage, two children with medical needs, moving) we've decided this year to simply thank Him and make no requests for next year.

Here's to another year...wherever it may take us!

(And hallelujah for TWO date nights to celebrate!!!)