Happy Anniversary to Us!

In June we celebrated 8 years of marriage!  Pretty exciting, I think.  I met Jeremy 9 years ago online, was wooed by him for a year, engaged for a half of a year, and now married for 8 years. 
He is kind in how he speaks to others, trustworthy as a spouse, committed to our marriage, loving to our children.  He has the patience of Job… and may feel like Job with his cranky wife sometimes! 
We have journeyed together to do voluntary service work in New Orleans and Colorado, weathered through job hunting numerous times, survived pregnancy and labor together twice, adjusted to a relocation, and are navigating the waters of parenting two amazing gifts from God. 
I have learned that marriage is what I hoped it would be – a commitment to your best friend (who is a guy, so it is ultimately a little different than your best girlfriend) that leads to laughter, tears, support, joy, and new discoveries. 
Marriage is a few things I didn’t know it would be – a commitment to

• growing as partners (it will never be just like it was),
• learning about the other (likes, dislikes, habits, personality… all the things that come out when you live intimately with someone),
• working to love and respect each other (how can I support Jeremy in all circumstances and at all times),
• and improving myself (I am not perfect… I know this was news to me too!  I cannot change another person, but I can be a better person, more rooted in God’s call to respect my husband).

We went to the Inn at Honey Run to celebrate while Luke and Steph watched our kids overnight, and Maynard and Gloria returned them the next day.  After dropping the kids off, we went biking at Cuyahoga National Park on the trail (11 miles with a return trip by train).  We ate out, which was a great treat for me.  We hung out at the inn, hiked on a few trails, and saw a few sights.  Overall, it was good to just to get away, reconnect, and rejuvenate.  We managed to get one picture.