This is the birthday card that JD got me for my 31st birthday last month. He said the old man is conceivably what he'll look like one day. Ha ha! Perhaps, Lord willing, we will indeed have the chance to grow old together.

Hmm...who am I kidding ~ the growing old part is already happening! My silver hairs are still heavily outnumbered, but they're attacking in an organized fashion & have their sights set on a complete takeover. Okay, that's definitely an exaggeration {as I have yet to even consider coloring my hair}, but some days when I look in the mirror it feels like they've declared war! Know what I mean? Aside from the dirty looks I give them, and the occasional verbal judo I toss out, the tweezers are my only real form of defense. Oh well ~ enough about my losing battle. Please excuse the digression. I really am going somewhere with this.

Let's jump back in time. It was 10 years ago on my 21st b-day {4 years prior to the sighting of my first gray hair!} that JD put a ring on my finger. He surprised me with a lovely homemade dinner by candlelight, followed by a top-notch proposal full of spectacular details that always bring forth oohs and aahhs when I thoroughly relay the event! After that he whisked me away to a surprise birthday party which, to the guest's surprise, also served as our engagement party. Clever, eh? To say the boy did good would be a major understatement. What a jaw-dropping evening!

Now here we are a DECADE later! From 2000 to 2010. From newlyweds to plant owners to dog owners to parenthood to training toddlers {indeed that's a stage of it's own}. From Texas to Canada to Colorado. And ya know what? I wouldn't change a thing. Notta. Zip. Zilch. The Lord has taught us so much and blessed us immensely in innumerable ways. One thing's for sure ~ we can boast only in Him. His faithfulness & provisions never cease to amaze us. And thankfully His patience is unending and His mercies are new every morning.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great - but I am actually speaking with great reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."   ~Ephesians 5:31-33

The above wooden box was an integral part of the proposal event. I won't go into all the noteworthy details involving the box, but I will say that having a Christ-centered marriage, as symbolically conveyed by JD's carving on the top, makes all the difference in the world. We firmly believe in the uncompromising Divine Institute of Marriage and understand the importance of constantly growing in our knowledge and understanding of the Word. Thank you Lord for the grace you've extended us during our almost ten years of marriage!

To sum it up: I am THANKFUL and can't wait to celebrate our 10th anniversary in December!