mushy

i always get a little mushy on this day.

valentine's day.

i know most people are "chill" about it saying it's a made up holiday to sell cards and flowers, but i love it.  my feeling is, if there's one day when you're kind of forced into telling the people in your life how much you love them and why, that can't be a bad thing!  let it propel you into lovin' on your loved ones for the other 364 days of the year!

so today i'm a little mushy and i'm thinking back once again.

and when i get mushy, i pull out old photos.

this is the first photo i have of just the two of us.  

it was an anniversary party for my aunt and uncle and i asked my dad to try and "sneak" a picture of us together.

this one is from Christmas Eve.  

he started coming to our traditional family gathering in 1995 and we still go every year (with our 3 kids!).

this was his birthday party thrown by his mom.

was i surprised to see party hats at a 29th birthday?

why yes, i was!

this was the last summer before we were married.

we're at camp - "our" camp.

the place that brought us (and many others) together;

where we fell in love 

(and always fall a little more in love when we serve there each summer).

the next summer!

august 8, 1997

someone gave me this snapshot of us just after we said 

"i do!"

this was taken at our dear friends' wedding.

we had just celebrated our last christmas as two.

little did we know what the Lord had in store for us in 2000!

i am so thankful to have many happy memories to look back on

even when there were (and will continue to be) 

rough patches and deep waters.

i know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are an excellent fit as partners and i praise God that we continue to have lots of fun together - with the kids, and plenty without!

love u, G!