our ninth.

Nine. That's how many years together Teesh and I celebrate today. It's hard for me to describe in words just how out-of-this-world-blessed they have been, and it pumps me up to know that the best is still yet to come. These years haven't been without heartache, but the joys have been so much greater. We've made mistakes, but the Lord has been faithful in granting us endless amounts of grace and mercy in the midst of all of them. The simple fact that I married this man, someone that I couldn't have dreamed up any more perfectly, is a testament to just how good and great He is.

I can still remember the first time I ever saw him in Mrs. Patterson's seventh grade pre-algebra class, and I can assure you that's something I'll never, ever forget. Not to mention how those butterflies from that beautiful ninth day of September still exist today; there aren't many memories that I love more than that one. I always said I'd marry that boy, and I still get giddy every time I think about spending the rest of my life with him. Yes, these past nine years have been, without a doubt, the most incredible of my life, but they pale in comparison to all the things that we will face together in the days, months, and years to come. I can't wait to look back on our life together, someday when I'm old and gray, and praise Jesus for all that He has given us.

Nine years down, a lifetime to go.

Somebody pinch me!

"A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love."

-Mother Teresa