August 17

Adam and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary today.

In some ways it's hard to believe that those two people standing there next to the front door where we take the kids' annual first and last day of school pics are the same two people who said "I do" --the girl wearing her mom's tiara and the guy who was so nervous that he looked like he would pass out right there at the altar-- all those years ago, but yep, that's us.

And as I reflected over our celebratory dinner at Haps tonight, I think I'm a better person than I was at 24. I'm more patient, more understanding, more compassionate. Maybe not more intelligent, per se, because having kids totally eats brain cells and I'm not sure I could navigate my way out of a cardboard box these days, but I'm definitely wiser. So much wiser, in fact, that I sometimes look back at Younger Me and do an actual facepalm. 

And this new and improved version of me? I owe it to two people: Jesus and this guy right here. So today, I'm grateful to Tina for taking all three kids to Youth Group tonight (thank you Tina!) and I'm extra grateful for our 19 years of marriage. It hasn't always been easy, but it's always, always been worth the effort.