15 Years!

Mike and I have been married for 15 years today. It seems so hard to believe that it's been 15 years. And yet, our wedding day seems like another lifetime ago.

So much has happened over these years. Five children, 6 homes, 6 jobs, unemployment, home improvements, miscarriages, homeschool, public school... a life full of joy and difficulty.

I'm grateful for the institution of marriage. How inspired it is. Knowing that someone else wants your children to be good, honest people just as much as you do, knowing that someone else feels the same anguish when a pregnancy ends suddenly, knowing that someone else thinks you are beautiful, knowing that someone else truly loves you. That's pretty amazing. When I think of all of the good times and hard times, I can't imagine wanting to go through them with anyone else. To quote our wedding rings:

Ruth 1:16 - Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

Mike and I feel extremely blessed to have each other. We often say to each other, "I'm glad I'm going through this with you." There's no where else we'd rather be.

So tonight we will celebrate with our kids. We celebrate our anniversary as our "Family Birthday".

Happy 15th Birthday, South Family

And rest assured, there will be many more.