Dear Jason-
We have been married 15 years today.
But, as we joke…. only 14 of those years have been happy.
The first year of our marriage was undoubtedly the hardest year of our life.
We struggled to learn how to be married. We struggled to grow up. We struggled to think of the other person first. We struggled to communicate. We struggled with more in that first year than some marriages go thru in a lifetime.
Many people thought we should just give up. And it would have been easy for us to throw in the towel had we not at the simplest level….just adored each other.
It terrifies me now to think of it really. Look at what we would have missed!!!
I am forever grateful that you loved me enough and I loved you enough that we didn’t give up on each other.
I am forever grateful that people CAN change….and we are both testimonies of that.
I’m forever grateful for a God who brought our marriage to it’s knees in order to get us into church.
I’m forever grateful for that marriage counselor who was a neutral 3rd party and helped us navigate our wounds.
I’m forever grateful for the close friends and family members who encouraged us to do the work / the hard stuff to stick it out.
I’m forever grateful for forgiveness and 2nd chances and new beginnings.
I’m forever grateful that when we gave our lives to Christ….we got to start over on our marriage!
As I write to you today, I want you to know how much I appreciate that you let me be me. I tend to be frazzled and driven and chaotic and disciplined all at the same time…..and you love me right where I am at. And I know sometimes that means our life is chaos. Thank you for embracing the chaos with me.
You have always been my biggest cheerleader and my toughest critic. You tell me when I am amazing and you tell me when I am completely wrong. And I need that. And I trust you for it.
You’ve encouraged every crazy thing I’ve ever wanted to try…..
When I decided to run. You encouraged it. And you ran with me.
When I decided to start a paint company. You encouraged it. And you painted with me.
When I asked if we could have a 3rd baby to try for that girl….. you made a 3rd baby with me! =)
When I decided to triathlon…..you were my biggest fan with posters and bells and our kids at every race!
When I brought up adoption….you gave it to the Lord in prayer and came back in agreement.
When I wanted to be vegan for a month….you cooked vegetables for me all month long.
When I’ve been on tv lately….you’ve met with with flowers and chocolate every time I walk out of the studio.
You are my biggest fan and I wouldn’t have the guts to try anything if you didn’t believe in me.
Thank you. Thank you for being you. The most generous, selfless man on this earth. Thank you for giving all of yourself to me and our family and our faith.
Thank you for not quitting when we could of.
Thank you for making every day an adventure.
You are God’s greatest gift to me. And for that…..I am forever grateful.
All my love,
Your wife
So beautiful. You are blessed.
Happy Anniversary Jennifer! One of the reasons I love visiting with you so much is because you keep it real. You share the good the bad and the ugly. I think we all go thru ups and downs in our marriages but we don’t tend to share those. Marriage is hard work but so worth it all because like you said look at what all we would have missed and think of what all there is still to come! My hubby andi joke that we don’t always like each other but we always love each other. May you and your hubby enjoy a lifetime of even more greatness!
Aw! what a nice man you have.
I loved this…it is wonderful. Happiest of Anniversaries to you both! and many more to come.
I was just wondering one thing…when you decided being a Vegan wasn’t for you…(after a whole month);Did he support you in eating MEAT too?
CAUSE MAN…YOU GOTTA LOVE HIM FOR THAT!!!
…Congrats on your marriage, Y’all!
Pat
We all go through times it seems like we are on a roller coaster… In those down times, we learn the most about ourselves. You have a lovely family, Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!!! What a beautiful family!!!
And it will be like that for the rest of your life. Happy Anniversary
Beautiful! Happy Anniversary to two incredible people. I wish you many more and love to last a lifetime.
Thanks for always being so real!
xo
Pat
Lovely. I’m so blessed to say many of the same things about V…except for the painting…and running…and trying being vegan. 😉 Happy anniversary!
Thanks for the great post on your blog, it really gives me an insight on this topic.
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I began following you a while back because of your creativity and diy paint skills. Today I was scanning through old posts for inspiration and I came upon this post. Thank you for your post! My husband passed the our 1 year mark of marriage (with a total of 8 years together). I never realized how much our relationship would change, by formalizing it and saying “I do!” Your post was nice to read and encouraging for those of us just beginning our journey!
It’s really nice reading these inspirational and heartfelt anniversary messages. It’s good to celebrate anniversary, especially for relationship and weddings. It is something to be happy about. Thanks!
nice one. happy anniversary
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I look for such article along time. Thanks.
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The first year of relationship is either bitter or beautiful depends upon person to person. The couple who learn to adjust early are always the happiest couples. Glad to hear about your anniversary Jennifer.
~ Blessings from India.
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