Eleven years ago today...

Eleven years ago today, I married my best friend.  

 Our first nine years were relatively uneventful regarding disagreements, but the last two years have brought a good dose of challenges.  Moving, extended family situations, depression and other health issues in addition to our every day life have taxed us and stretched our relationship a bit more than I would have liked!  But those waves that have been made create a bond that was stronger than before we had to hold tight together.  It was a good day to celebrate what we have after all is said and done.  

I was so excited when we got married.  I can still remember how fun it was to have "boy things" in my closet as we settled in together... his camo coat, dirty socks, guns and huge boots!  I am endeared to the play in the dirt kind of boys, and Robert was definitely that!  I said then that getting married was the beginning of a lifelong slumber party with my best friend.  And while the last two years brought a set of challenges that weren't so slumber party-ish, we're back to the fun slumber party again.  And I'm enjoying the laughter and rest!

We are so much more comfortable in our own skin now after eleven years, the "skin" that we've found together.  We're brave enough to make waves, and we're learning to help each other swim.  We're trusting enough to try and look for each other's heart on issues.  We're in deep enough to be real and appreciate it from one another.  And thankfully, we can handle knowing that we've blown it and are usually willing to get through to the other side, though sometimes that takes a while!  (We still have a long way to go!)

God is good to hang in there with us.  This gift of marriage still blows me away when I think about it, really.  A relationship like we have with no. one. else. on the planet!  How cool is that?

And if it was my choice all over again?  I'd choose the same man to have as my other half.  I can't wait to see how much better it gets.