15 years

Fifteen years ago on Valentine's Day, my valentine asked me to be his. I was a junior in high school, and Jason was a senior.We went to see a movie, 'Twelve Monkeys' featuring Brad Pitt...strange movie is all I can say. And we went to a matinee to save money. Looking back, this was a first glimpse into the person Jason is...cheap, er I mean fiscally conservative.

Then we proceeded to eat at the Applebee's, where my all-too-comfortable date not only licked his own plate clean (and yes, I mean literally licked his plate,) but he also ate the half of my meal that I couldn't. Charming, I know. The fact that he actually licked his plate on our first date in the middle of a restaurant and I found this to be cute (at the time) really shows that ours was a match made by the Lord. Thankfully, Jason's manners have come a long way in fifteen years, as has our life together. Yes, he continues to eat my leftovers but no longer licks the plate, ha!

We continued dating through high school and college, married in 2000, and now have four children. Where does the time go? Really, the rate at which our days, weeks and months have been passing by lately has me in a bit of a panic. I don't want it to go by too fast. I don't want to blink and have my kids grown and out of the house. I don't want to turn my head and find that I've missed the days that only come once in a lifetime, that I've missed out on all the little blessings God has given us. Blessings like a husband who loves the Lord with all his heart, loves ALL of God's people and possesses a passion to share Christ with them. A husband who is thoughtful, caring, kind, strives to see the best in people, and sees the best in me, even when I may not believe in myself. A husband who holds my hand as we send child by child off to school for the first time and this sensitive mama cries the day away. A husband who encourages me to achieve more than I could have ever imagined, and reminds me that it's all for Christ's sake.

Who am I that I have been so blessed?

No, I don't want to wish any of these blessed days away, for I can see that they pass by fast enough on their own. I pray that as we celebrate this Valentine's Day, the Lord would help me to cherish every moment and always strive for more passion and love that can only come from Him. I pray that He would continue to mold me into the best wife that I can be, and that I would allow Him to do so. And I pray that our children would see in their mom and dad that a love formed by the Lord is one to strive for.

Jason and I have been through a lot. We've grown up together in a way, as we've now spent nearly half our lives together. We've grown in our faith, we've grown in our relationship with each other, we've grown as parents and as friends. We've experienced life together, traveled together, served the Lord together, and learned how to do so many things together. And my valentine taught me how to ski so many years ago, just recently returning from our tenth ski trip together where we worked together to teach our three-year-old daughter how to ski as she laughed and cried down the mountain. (She's soooo like her mama in some ways!)

Yes, life is full of so many memories and so many of mine are filled with you, my valentine. And for that, I am forever thankful.