I'm still into him...

Fifteen years ago today I promised to love and cherish my husband till death parted us. We have experienced many joys and some sorrows on our journey through life together, and have stayed true to our vows...I really do love this man!

I promise to keep this "G" rated, but would like to share fifteen memories, joys and gifts from our life together.

15.  Movie nights. Sometimes the whole extended family comes over, sometimes it's just the six of us and sometimes we send the kids to bed and have a makeshift date night. (Always reminds me of the song by Phil Vassar, Just Another Day In Paradise?)

14.  Road trips.  We don't do it as often as we did before we had kids, but we love to load up the car with drinks, snacks and some great music and go for a drive. Sometimes we end up running some errands and sometimes we just enjoy the beautiful landscape and the time together.

13.  Conversation. We have worked to keep communication open and flowing between us. We plan times to talk out what's on our minds, even pounding the pavement in front of our acreage walking out frustrations and facilitating the thought process as we talk.

12.  Family. We chose to stay close to family, which means on a weekly basis we are interacting with upwards of 16 extended family members on two or more days a week. We love it and love the community it creates for the kids, but navigating the his, mine and ours can be challenging. I appreciate that my husband values ALL of our family so much that we can make them such a big part of our lives.

11.  Stability. Those of you who know me well, know that I am a planner. I like to make my lists and plans and have at least some idea what is going on and what I need to do. This is how I find order in the midst of chaos. What you may not know is how good Ben is at helping me sort the chaos, not just organize it. He offers a strength I can lean on because I know he will be there. And on the rare occasion that he is struggling too, we have learned to lean on each other.

10.  Dreams. We are dream makers and man can we dream big! I know we won't see most of them come true, but if we don't dream we might miss the chance to realize some of them. We dream of traveling and seeing the world. We dream of being financially wealthy and investing that wealth in ministries and people. We dream of helping our kids realize their potential and their own dreams. (I dare you, ask him what he would do with 50 million dollars...'cause he knows!)

9.   I'm really into him! Music is such a huge part of our lives. I love the chorus to this new song by Paramore, Still Into You. I am not familiar with this group, but these words are amazing!

"I should be over all the butterflies But I'm into you (I'm into you)
And baby even on our worst nights I'm into you (I'm into you)
Let 'em wonder how we got this far

'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all
Yeah, after all this time I'm still into you"

8.  Goofing off. Those of you who know Ben, know how goofy and mischievous he can be. Sometimes I need the reminder to blow off steam and just have fun for a while. The dishes/projects/mess will be there when I come back (unless of course the cleaning fairies show up.....)

7.  Grace & Forgiveness. I know it's hard to believe, but I am imperfect and often need my husband to be gracious with my imperfections and forgiving of my mistakes. He does both very well.

6.  Cooking. He may not be a master chef, but my man can cook...at least enough to keep us from starving. This has been a huge blessings during times when I am too sick or too exhausted to take care of our family. His willingness to step up when I or the kids need him is amazing.

5.  Diligent. Sometimes the real victors are simply the ones who don't give up. Most of what we have built together is not because of wealth or luck, but because we kept trying. Failure isn't defeat unless we quit trying...and this man doesn't quit easily.

4.  Laughter. Because it's good for my heart and no one can bring a smile to my face as quickly as Ben can...well, and maybe our kiddos.

3.  Children. Every journey to parenthood has it's challenges, some more than others. I am so grateful to have a home filled with the laughter (and sometimes yelling, crying, fussing) of little ones.

2.  Strength and Courage. These are two qualities my husband has a lot of, as evidenced through every trial and challenge we've faced. But even more amazing is how he has encouraged these qualities in me.

1.  Commitment. Above all, I know we are in this thing called life together. I am not walking alone and that is the best gift of all! I walked down the aisle to Shania Twain's From This Moment On and these words are just as true today as they were then.

"From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on"