8 years

8 years ago today I made one of the best decisions of my life - second only to deciding to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  I married the man of my dreams.  I still look back and thank God that even my 21-year-old immature self was able to make the best decision on who I would share the rest of my life with. 

There hasn't been a day that's gone by when I haven't realized how very blessed I am to have Matt in my life.  This past year - our 8th year - has been our best yet.  We have gone through things that we never would have imagined when we were smiling for that picture above, but it has only brought us closer to our Lord, and closer to each other.  I have seen my man stand up and stand strong for our family, even in the midst of these dark days. 

And now - for our 8th anniversary - 8 reasons why I love Matt:

1.  He loves me unconditionally.  Really.  I know it's hard for many of you to imagine (wink, wink), but I am hard to deal with sometimes.  I'm a bit bossy, and can get cranky/moody fairly quickly.  But Matt deals with it with such grace and he even tells me that he thinks it cute when I'm cranky - which makes me even more cranky! Ha!

2.  He is an amazing father.  He loves both of our boys so well.  He is always willing to play with Parker - even if it means playing "Break the Ice" for the forty-first time.  But he is also willing to do the hard stuff, too.  He is the one who has to go in with Parker for the things I am too wussy for: blood draws, shots, dentist appointments, etc.  He was the one who had to deal with some really hard things surrounding the death of our Graham.  And he does those things without complaining.

3.  He's really handsome.

Enough said.

4.  He is so great at helping out around the house.  Who am I kidding?  He does most of the day-to-day duties around the house, like washing the dishes, laundry, etc.  He serves our family with such a humble spirit.  And it makes it much easier for me to forgive him for leaving all of the cabinets open in our kitchen. ;)

5.  Even though he is a bit of a homebody by nature, he knows that I need to keep busy and get out of the house.  So, he is always willing to go on adventures and outings with Parker and I, even when I know he'd rather be chilling at home.

6.  He is the head of our household, but leads us with a servant's heart.  He is obedient to the call that God has placed on his life and is following it with reckless abandon.  At the same time, though, he has been diligent in making sure that our family is all "on board" and realizes that the call God has placed on him is and must be that the call that he has placed on our family, too.

7.  He is definitely the more serious one in our relationship, but I love it when he surprises me by doing something funny/goofy.  Or joining in with me for some silly antics.

8.  He's all mine.  I'm so thankful for this gift that God gave me 8 years ago.  And I'm so excited that, God-willing, I get to spend many, many more years with him.  I know that with him by my side, life will always be half as hard and twice as good.