Our Anniversary...

Wow, I can't believe that four years ago today, Ralph and I had our wedding. I remember all the drama that surrounded the wedding and that Ralph and I were so calm and nonchalant. We weren't concerned with the perfect details. We just wanted to have a beautiful wedding and get the heck out of there to fly to Punta Cana for our honeymoon. That's all we were concerned about. It was so nice that day. The weather was nice and cool when the sun was setting so it was perfect weather if you ask me. I think the day was a complete blurr once we were done with the ceremony. The reception was nice but flew right by. It was the first time in history, that my immediate family was able to take formal pictures together (minus my dad who refused to go to the wedding - still trying to figure that one out). At least my uncle was there to walk me down the aisle. I was all teary and emotional. It was such a milestone for Ralph and I. It was as if our lives finally took a turn around a corner that had been very difficult
for us to get to.

Our wedding day

my uncle walking me down the aisle

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

We did everything backwards. We didn't have this wonderful honeymoon phase in the beginning. We had a very difficult first few years being together. Ralph and I were married in 06 and because of finances, our wedding had to be put off for over a year later. His parents went through a rough separation/divorce (which was so hard for him to go through) and I was in a previous relationship and had been through a terrible break up (which left me pretty much as screwed up as it gets). We got into a relationship with each other in the midst of turmoil. You see, our relationship wasn't all googly eyes and hearts from day one. It was true love, but the "poop" hit the ceiling fan from the start. We bickered and fought a lot in the beginning. We both had a lot of baggage to get rid of before we could actually enjoy a meaningful, loving, respectful relationship with God as the center of our universe. Once the yelling, tears and frustrations began to subside, healing in our hearts took place from the Lord and we began to build a stronger love for each other. God had to do some major damage control on the two of us. To say the least, we both were pretty screwed up going into our relationship. On the bright side, we were able to work through the hard years and made it through to stronger and brighter years.

At our reception

Now everything is flipped. We are on year 4 of our wedding and nearing year 5 of our marriage and now is when we feel that honeymoon phase set in. We have a deeper respect and love for one another. Our relationship is so much stronger because we have the Lord as our number one priority. I never put Ralph on a pedestal because I am constantly reminding myself that he isn't God. He is a man. He is not perfect. He will make mistakes. He will hurt my feelings. I keep in mind that he belongs to the Lord. The same applies to me. I always tell him he's my "number 2". God is my #1 priority and Ralph comes in a close second. If I can keep that in my heart and abide by the word, then I will have less offense towards him if we accidentally hurt each other for whatever reason. The less offense, the less anger. The less anger the less hurt and the less hurt, the more love.

my love

I am so very grateful for my husband. I've been truly blessed to the core. I love him more than I ever thought I could ever love someone. He is the one and only person in this world, that I can be at my absolute worse, and he will still see me as beautiful. We've been through tearful days, angry days and joyful days. We've lost babies, lost friends and been hurt through so many trials of this world. He's seen me at my best and at my worse. He's still as much in love with the Lord now, as he was when we first met, which says a lot for his character. Most people that go through rough times give up right off the bat. They throw in the towel and say "this is too hard". I'm blessed that he never gives up. If anything, he is more about the Lord now than he was before. He's blessed, anointed, and highly favored. He has a winsome personality that draws people to him. He's always smiling and making everyone laugh. He's wonderful....and I'm blessed.

1 Corinthians 13 

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;

 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.