I still do.

Sixteen years ago, I woke up excited and nervous.  It was the day!  The day every little girl dreams of.  The day that I was going to say those words..."I DO!".  I don't remember a whole lot about that morning...but I do remember being at the church, and sitting in the room where I was getting ready.  For some reason I was totally alone...looking in the mirror, and having a heart to heart with myself about whether or not I was doing the right thing.  Last minute cold feet maybe.  Knowing that the next step I took would be FOREVER...no turning back.  Because I knew...this was not just a trial run.  This was for the rest of my life.

The fact that my mother acted more like she was attending my funeral than my wedding did NOT help.  We have laughed and said over the years that I could have married Superman, and she would not have been happy.  She just had a REALLY hard time letting me go.  In fact we watched the wedding video last year...and I was depressed after watching it.  So, we decided not to watch it again for, oh, probably another 15 years!

The good news is that in time, my mother came around, and loved him.  And the best news is that marriage to him has been greater than I could have even imagined.

He has been the BEST husband I could EVER ask for.  Perfect?  No.  But neither am I.  And I love him imperfections and all.  Just like he loves me.

He has been there for me through the deaths of both of my parents.  He has been there (going above and beyond during the bed rest months with our little prince) through the births of our three children.  He has been there through moves, and years of hearing my teaching stories.  He has been my hero on countless occasions.  Running to the rescue, when many men would not.  He helps me with the kids, and around the house.  He is my rock.  He is the spiritual leader in our family.  He leads in a loving way, not with an iron fist.  He is wise.  He is strong.  He is loving.  He is funny.  He is my best friend.  He is the man of my dreams!  He is MY prince.

I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I had given in to my "cold feet" moment on that day.  I just know that it would be far from as good as it has been the past sixteen years.

I am glad that God gave me the man that is perfect for ME.  I am glad that we started out right (see The Story of Us post), and have continued to follow God's will for our marriage, and our lives.  Again, it hasn't been perfect.  There have been tough times and trials.  But we held hands and faced them together.  And when we have disagreed, we agree to meet in the middle.

Sixteen years ago, when I said, "I DO!", our verse as a couple was Psalms 34:3 "O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together."  My prayer is that we have done just that.  My prayer is that we will continue to do just that for MANY more years to come. 

After sixteen years, I still DO...Love and cherish the man of my dreams, and still DO want to spend the rest of my life glorifying the Lord with him.  I still do.