7,304 Days

Day 1: May 4, 1996

Twenty years ago I married my favorite coach. [To hear him tell the story there were a lot of hearts that broke that day when he suddenly became "unavailable".]

What a wild and crazy adventure it has been....

Some people that are close to us understand the significance of these twenty years. [And no, its not any kind of miracle that he hasn't killed me yet or the fact that he's had it so bad and has still come out smiling. Don't let him fool you....he's got it made.]  We didn't exactly get the order of date, finish college, get married, have children, etc. correct. Honestly, we had no clue about raising children or being married, much less trying to do both at the same time.

Neither is a job for the faint of heart. #truth 

As I look back on twenty years of marriage, the most defining moments make me realize that even when I was not listening, God was making a way for both of us.  We [Short and I] have not done a thing to make this marriage "work" apart from God's grace [I will admit I've needed way more grace and mercy and humble pie than my favorite coach in these last 20 years].  

Trust me when I say that God has given us way more than we could ever fathom. He has expanded our territory and done immeasureably more than we could ever hope or imagine. 

We have been blessed to be the parents of four amazing [fantastic, brilliant, hilarious, sensitive, awesome, loving, giving, etc...I will go on...its my blog] children. In twenty years, there have been a lot of laughs, a few tears, and way too many hugs and kisses to count. Sometimes, even after all these years, I still pinch myself and question if this is real life [yes...as I sing Bohemian Rhapsody]. Raising kids ain't easy...or cheap. 

But so worth every single bit of the good and bad. I promise.

In twenty years I have laughed way more than I've cried. Have you met my husband? He brings his A game to every conversation. [And he's never, EVER met one of those he didn't like...] Trust me when I say that there have been many times laughing kept us entertained because it was all we could afford.

I cannot imagine spending the last twenty years with anyone else. God has allowed us to make quite a life together because we never gave up on each other, especially when the mountains seemed impassable and the storms too big. One step at a time, holding the other's hand.

Thank you to my sweet Craig for loving Christ first, for loving me before yourself, and for always being my partner in crime without a dime. 

Thank you for teaching me the game of football and for encouraging my crazy adventures.

Thank you for realizing that I will never know where my keys are and for ironing my clothes.

Thank you for putting up with my quirks [or what I like to term extremely intellectual tendencies] and for always cleaning the bathroom [because it grosses me out].

Thank you for being organized and for allowing putting up with my disorganization.

Thank you for working hard at your job and for coming home each day full of hugs and kisses.

Thank you for forcing sharing your love of history and for making countless trips to buy groceries to help me out.

Thank you accepting my invitation for a date all those years ago and for never looking back.

Day 7,304 - May 4, 2016: I love your love [and your toast] the most.