Decade

On December 17, 1999 Dan and I tied the knot. I was 22, and a new college graduate, and Dan was 21, and had just finished his last college final one-day prior to our wedding nuptials. It was a crazy time, and we were excited to embark on our *grand* post-college adventure together.

We left college with the arrogant notion that the world would be waiting for us—we had shiny new college degrees and “Boy, wouldn’t some company be lucky to have us!” Naturally what ensued was quite different—temp jobs, selling cell phones, secretarial work, rental properties, hand-me-down furniture, folding chairs, Hamburger Helper.......

I fondly reflect on our beginnings because in some respects it was an easier time. We hadn’t acquired much, weren’t responsible for much, weren’t too jaded, were relatively trusting of others, and hadn’t dealt with much adversity. Through ten years (plus) we have had some great triumphs and have had some great disappointments; taken some risks; made some good decisions and some bad ones; loved well and loved terribly; shown up and checked out; been lucky and un-lucky; and mostly we’ve just been us—flawed, still learning, making amends, laughing a lot, and attempting to extend undeserved grace.

There’s so much about Dan that I love but mostly I’m so grateful for his friendship. Dan is my best friend and he is the funniest and most fun person that I know; he’s loyal; he’s real; he’s seeking God; and he’s a tremendous father. There’s no one else that I’d rather be “in this” with than Dan. Thank you, Dan—I sincerely love doing life with you. Really, I do. I really, really do.

Grateful

Grateful. What a word. What a mighty big word. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday I'm spending some time reflecting on what I am grateful for. As you might guess I'm very, very grateful for Dan. There's lots to brag about as far as Dan is concerned but one of the "biggest" things as of late is his tremendous weight loss. Last January Dan decided to make a radical lifestyle change, and because of his dedication he has lost more than 100 pounds. I'm incredibly proud of him, and so grateful that he's taking his health seriously (I have much to learn). So, here's a recent side profile of him. Perhaps he'll let me show some before and after shots sometime. In the meantime, just admire.

Happy 30th Birthday Dan!

In honor of Dan’s birthday Avery’s wearing her jeans on her head. Nope, just kidding—this picture is actually from a few days ago, and the reason her jeans are on her head is because she’s mimicking Dan (no, Dan didn’t have HIS jeans on his head; he put Avery’s jeans on HIS head). This picture illustrates two things I love about Dan—he’s silly and fun, and he’s absolutely crazy about his girls. It would of never occurred to me to put Avery’s jeans on my head, and yet, it did occur to Dan, and Avery thought it was totally hysterical. Avery and Romey have hit the jackpot by having Dan as their father. Dan—we three are crazy about you, and love you very much. Happy 30th!