1st year anniversary

Yesterday Grady and I celebrated 1 year of being officially married! While it's hard to believe that was just a short 365 days ago... it also seems like we have been "coupled" for so much longer than that! We truly have lived some much life in such a short time.... We committed to each other almost a year before we were able to get married, and "dated" just 6 short months before that. So while it has been longer than just a year - it sure seems like 5 or 10 years! :o) In a very good way that is!

Last year after we got married at the Justice of the Peace (an unbelievably sterile and emotionless 2 minute process during he Judge's lunch break), we didn't have any kind of reception planned. We honestly didn't have any friends here in Houston yet - other than Grady's close friends Jim and Susan. They invited us over Saturday (we got married Friday) to BBQ with them, and when we got there, they had a mini "reception" for us - complete with cake, champagne and toasts. It was absolutely perfect - Susan was one of the instigators to get Grady on e-harmony, and Jim has been a close friend of Grady's for quite a long time - and very influential in many parts of Grady's previous marriage and subsequent divorce. It was incredibly special to be able to spend time with them (which we only get to do about twice a year!), AND to celebrate our marriage with them!.

So this year, as we contemplated how to commemorate our first anniversary, we had planned to go out to a nice dinner - one of our favorite forms of entertainment. A new Brazilian restaurant has opened next door in the multi-use complex on Lake Houston, and we thought we might try that. Nothing big - just a nice way to celebrate the past year.

Thursday, Jim and Grady played together in a golf tournament, during which, getting together over weekend was brought up. Jim invited us over for a BBQ again! How perfect is that? We would get to spend our anniversary with the same people who loved on us a year ago right after we got married! It was a terrific idea!

Grady has recently had eastern Mexico added to his terrirtory, and Grady had a short international business meeting Sunday morning at 11am. While he was working, I went shopping at Marshall's next door(scored big there too!), and by 1pm we were on our way to Jim and Susan's. Jim's brother and wife, Tom and Karen, were there as well, and we had a fantastic time eating and playing in Jim and Susan's beautiful pool! The weather was gorgeous - mid-80's and sunny - with a good breeze to cool things down! I got a little red, but not too bad, and Grady did a great job of keeping out of the sun and covering up with sunscreen! :o) We had tasty burgers on the grill, refreshing Sea Breezes throughout the day, and lots and lots of laughter. We really enjoyed getting to know Tom and Karen, and Tom brought some great family stories to the table - I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!

We also brought the piece of wedding cake from the previous year with us.... It had been in the freezer the entire year, and was not in any way appetizing, but we didn't see any better time or place to eat our cake! :o) After the one obligatory bite, the rest of it went in the trash! :o) I really don't even know what that tradition is all about, but we did it anyway!

This week we have been reflecting on the past 3 years - where Grady and I both were in life, and how drastically life changed for both of us when we met just a few months later. We are abundantly blessed, physically with health and energy; emotionally, with great friends and family; financially, with a job that provides well for us and a thriving business; and spiritually, with a loving and caring God who wants to spend each and every moment with us, being a part of our lives.

We look forward to year two with as much anticipation as we did 52 weeks ago. We know it won't always be easy. We will shed tears, get frustrated with each other, probably misunderstand what the other is thinking. But we will also laugh, smile, nuzzle, cuddle, wink, have long meaningful talks, experience new things, and even just sit together. As long as we end the day in each others arms, all of the negatives seem to just melt away. We know a successful marriage takes work - and we are blessed to have mentors to guide us through. God continues to bless us, as He has from the moment we met online, and we know He is always there with us. When God is for us... who can be against us?!