OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY!

Today marks 10 years of wedded bliss.  (For pics from that special day, click here!)  I don't know that there are words that can fully describe what all the last 10 years have contained.  Any married person can tell you that there are always ups and downs, and that is definitely true for us.  This past year has been more testing than most, and we feel like we've earned survival badges just to be here and still be liking each other.

Was today a faint echo of the joyful day of our wedding?

Not in the slightest.  The sim card in my phone died around 7:45 a.m. for no reasons to kick things off.  We did go car shopping this morning sans kiddos which was really fun.



But, I think the rest of the day got the better of both of us in different ways.  Sometimes it feels like everything and everyone is demanding our attention, and we answer to a lot of things and people.  Instead of chocolate covered strawberries, this is what the strawberries looked like at dinner.  I had basically given up, and John was at a meeting, and the kids were eating them straight from the carton.  And putting them back in, gnawed on.  It's a glamorous existence here.



Then I ate the ones that had been partially chewed, because I couldn't let perfectly good strawberry go to waste, and I couldn't stick them back in the fridge like that either.  If you ever labor under the impression that things are running smoothly here, rest assured, they are not.  We are off the tracks in so many ways.

But, John is winging his way home at this moment with a Chocolate Sack for us to eat so we can wrap this evening up right.  10 years.

It's been so rich.  It's been so good.  It feels like longer and shorter all at the same time.  I do feel blessed beyond measure to do life with John.  He makes me laugh, and he points me to Christ.  I couldn't ask for anything more from a partner.   And while we are certainly not thrilled with one another in every moment - the good moments far outweigh the bad ones, and I'm so grateful.

The last 10 years have held so many surprises, and we NEVER could have dreamed what all our life would hold.  I'm excited to see what God has in store for the next 10 years.  I can only hope it involves a bit more sleep, but I'm guessing that God will keep us on our toes.  I'm thankful to be doing this adventure with John.

In honor of our anniversary and #ThrowBackThursday, I'm posting just a few pics from our Hawaiian honeymoon.  We rocked Maui and Oahu and had a splendid time.  We look young and carefree - though we felt like we really needed a vacation from wedding planning, full-time jobs and grad school.  If only I could go back and tell 10 year younger John and Carol how simple things actually were.  You only get that perspective with time.

(I'm standing at the base of that tree!)



And even knowing what I know and having the perspective that 10 years gives me, I would do it all again.  With John.  He's my very favorite.

Here's to the next 10 years and beyond!

Past Anniversary Posts:
{2011} {2012} {2013} {2014}