dear matt...

happiest anniversary to you (3 days late).....as i highlight some of our years together, i am thankful for your support, love & committment.






2002--we traveled to oahu, hawaii for a week to celebrate our honeymoon. we relaxed, tanned, swam w/ dolphins, hiked diamond head, and spent wonderful time together beginning to learn how to be husband and wife. though we had a wonderful time, this was the first glimpse of reality & that the idea of the "honeymoon" phase may not be for everyone. we really did enjoy setting up a "home" together. a one bedroom apartment in a newly built complex. though it was 1/5 of the size of our home now....i really enjoyed even the smallest details of a place of our very own....like having plants to water! we found a loving church family, i continued in nursing school, and you enrolled for your MBA...both while we were working. we learned just how strong the upbringing of 2 people can influence who they are and what they believe. even though we were together for 2 1/2 years before marriage, we had no idea about how differently we would handle challenges. we definitely learned how NOT to fight....and how to communicate better. the most important thing that i think we learned this year is that we loved each other & were committed to WORKING at a great marriage, even though it may not have been coming so easily.

2003--this year had us excited about our future knowing that we could really do great things together. we were in the full throws of leading a junior high youth group that was so much fun. we finished building our first home together & had so much fun decorating! you took your first mission trip to guatemala. although we had talked about having kids of our own & adopting internationally, too....this trip solidified it for us. we both had hearts that were for children.....children of our own & children of poverty that we were sure God was preparing us to love. we could hardly wait to start our family. and we didn't have to wait long. chloe arrived in november & the meaning of gratitude has never been the same for us. although we didn't really know it at the time, chloe was a very high-maintenance baby. looking back, i can see how our teamwork & respect for each other really grew for while learning to care for chloe and love her just where she was. whether that was a happy, smiling baby or a baby that shrieked if she wasn't in mama's arms, standing up, bouncing & shushing.

2004--this was a hard start as a church that we loved fell apart. looking back, this led us on our journey to our church now. and i'm eternally grateful for that. we have a loving, supportive church family; expository teaching that is always relevant, challenging & biblical; an outstanding children's program that believes that our children aren't just the future of the church, but an important part right now......i'm so thankful we were led here. we were so happy to welcome my sister & her family to the area, as they moved up from 2 hours away! in spring of this year we were so excited to find out that chloe was going to be a big sister! at just 4 months old, she "announced" it for us by wearing a "big sis" shirt. we both finished school & you got a huge promotion at work.

2005--although baby #2 wasn't due until my mom's birthday of february 6th....anika decided to come early on my dad's birthday of january 18th! i was so shocked that she was a girl....although i was SO happy!! you were so supportive of me and really encouraging as i did what came natural to me....being a mom. you were always bragging on me about taking the girls out grocery shopping or something entirely ordinary like that. we began a relationship with "our girls" in guatemala that you had now visited twice. what a joy it is to our family to be a part of their lives, send little packages to them, and to open their heart-felt letters. we started building our next house this year, too. we also had our first experiences of disappointment that comes with waiting on those 2 pink lines sometimes. we always knew we were extremely blessed in our ability to have our girls...yet it was just a glimmer of the feeling of desperately wanting the lines to show up.

2006--what a fun year this was watching the girls grow....and us grow. we started to realize what a need young couples had to hear that it was okay that they weren't feeling all "honeymooney." although we once felt shameful about it.....we realized that talking about how we'd had a hard time adjusting to married life, but we made a choice to work at it, pray about it & commit to it was a good thing for those couples to hear. we were so excited to find out we'd be welcoming baby #3 to our family. and despite everyone telling us that we "needed that boy" we were beyond excited to find out that our girls names would all be used! this was a very rough year with a regards to a friendship that we had with a couple. we learned a lot about trusting our "gut", believing in each other, taking support from our family & coping with bad things being done to you without retaliation or spite. our faith grew a lot from this situation. we moved into the 2nd home that we've built. then, we welcomed ellie! what a joy & perfect addition to our family she has been!

2007--we settled into our home & i really started enjoying living in such a unique, friendly subdivision where we could interact & truly befriend our neighbors. you made the decision to start your own building company and i've never been so proud of you. you put in a ton of hard work...yet at the same time, you've never been a more present & loving father. we learned that we LOVE having you home & your time being more flexible. you took a mission trip to the dominican republic & i was certain that you would come back ready to adopt. you came back with a big idea....but not adoption (yet). you were quite suprised that i had already know for months that this idea was coming. i started a part time job that i am passionate about, and learned you love what it does for our family just as much! we had a wonderful year...you and i have become quite the team.

2008--i'm thankful to start another year with you. another year to learn how to love you better, to watch the kids grow and learn, to discover new things, travel to new places, and prepare for what our hearts are leading us to do. we are a loving example of what God and love can repair and use for good. thank you for your committment to me, our girls, and Him. i look forward to our next 6 years and many, many more.