Seven years ago today at about this time...well ok at 4:19 pm I married the love of my life. Two recent college grads set out on an adventure and it has been seven of the most wonderful years of my life. Like the cheesy saying says "like a fine wine our marriage is getting better with age."
First there was Grosse Pointe and who could forget our dear friends there that helped us through the "leave and cleave" part of our marriage. There were the arguments over squeezing the tube vs. rolling from the end...I have lost this battle and we squeeze now. Then came our first major decision together...and over a frozen yogurt at the mall a week before Christmas we decide to begin our family and Tackle join our crew.
Then there was the move to St. Joe, when I graduated from high school I was certain I would never come back except to visit but God has a sense of humor and it has been our home for the last five years. After two and half years at our new jobs, countless house projects (still not all done), Ellington joined our family and then during the worst economic decline in modern history, we decided I should return to school. Following school and a new job, Beckett was born and now what had started as just two recent college grads was now a family of five (yes, we count Tackle).
So there you have it, the history of our family...well ok the abridged abbreviated version without all the details.
There has been a ton of changes over the last seven years, multiple jobs, moves, two kids and a dog, but the one constant among all of that has been my best friend and wife, yes they are the same person. I remember when we first started dating the butterflies and excitement around spending an evening with you and while now evenings spent together usually consist of bath time and folding laundry, I still love more than anything spending time with you. Emily, you have truly shaped me into a better person, you have shown me how to be compassionate, caring as well as driven and focused. You have encouraged me to pursue my dreams and to think big, you listen when I am frustrated and comfort me when it hurts. You love our children more than I thought was possible. I can't possibly thank you enough for being the woman, wife, mother and friend that you are and there is absolutely no one else I would rather share my life with. Today we celebrate seven years...and on July 24, 2074 we will celebrate 70 years, just two recent college grads getting ready to turn 93 years young. I love you more then I could ever say or show you.
All my love, forever and always,
Josh
...and since we are on vacation this week and flowers don't keep well on the road, seven hot pink gerber daisies (just like the flowers you carried down the aisle) will be delivered next Monday.
