Our Second Anniversary

My heart overflows to write those words. Our second anniversary.

Our golden anniversary. The second anniversary on the second day of the month. 

Last week, I got an email from one of you who thanked me for sharing about all the prayers I prayed...even before I knew who Ryan was. I stand on my firm conviction that every prayer and every tear and every brokenhearted moment of waiting was well worth the reward that Ryan is to me. The beautiful redemption from the hurt I went through. And today, we both celebrate the love God has allowed us to share for two full years now.

Last year, on our anniversary, we made a list of goals for our year ahead. I took a look at that list the other day, and I can see that God's plans for our year looked really different from our own. But despite that, it has been a marvelous year in so many ways, not the least of which was...we spent it together.

 {Yes, that's us with our beloved coffee on the second day of every month this year.}

Last year, on our first anniversary, I shared with you some of my favorite highlights of our wedding day. Today I bring to you some of my favorite moments of this last year we've shared.

While I didn't really love anything about the Polar Vortex of 2014, I did love playing in the snow with Ryan. We built a snow-son and named him Jeffrey...had photo shoots, made snow angels, and enjoyed warming up by the fire after it was over. And Ryan even risked life and limb in the snow to get us fountain pops, which is nearly one of the ultimate acts of love. This man is so much fun. Even on the worst snowy days, we had fun!

We had a staycation in February, which was a million kinds of wonderful. We slept, lounged in our jammies, watched the Olympics, drank a lot of coffee, had movie marathons, went to a concert, went out on some little day trips, and celebrated Valentine's Day with an Ultimate Float at DeBrand Chocolates. It was possibly the most relaxing week of our entire year and I cherished it.

I appreciate so much that Ryan is always willing to come to my work events with me. Every concert - everything he can possibly get to, he attends, and I love it. We spend so much time apart because of our jobs, so to have him make the sacrifice to come with me when I have to work on the weekends...is a joy. And sometimes there are extra fun perks in the fun perks...like getting to watch Kari Jobe sign this guitar and then having our picture taken with it because let's face it...we're never going to get near this many artist autographs again!

In all those years of waiting, there were so many things I wanted to share with Ryan, but I didn't know where he was! I love being able to continue to experience redemption by sharing with him bits of those things now. This year he accompanied me to the presentation of the Marion Easter Pageant, which was a HUGE part of my life as I grew up. Even though I wasn't in it this year, to be able to sit in the audience alongside him watch him experience something that was so pivotal to me as I grew up...was a joy.

It has been the theme of our year that things do not always turn out as expected or planned, and our birthday getaway was no exception. We planned a trip to Holland, Michigan, to see the tulips at the Tulip Festival, but alas, the Polar Vortex hung on and the tulips were not so much {at all} in bloom. Our hotel room had to be ditched because we had no idea if it bore communicable diseases, and the whole trip was one cold, cloudy potential disaster. But Ryan and I determined to make the most of it, so we soldiered on - donning our winter gear and taking beach pictures anyway. And you know what? We had a blast.

We tried our hand at a first this year - vacationing with family. It was a joy to celebrate my parents' 60th wedding anniversary with them - and with all my family - in Shipshewana. We laughed and shopped and ate and rode bikes and had photo shoots and had a blast! After all the celebrations I went to alone as I waited for someone to share life with, it was a joy to have Ryan be part of this one!

We love trying new things...once in a lifetime things...and this year we got the chance to dress up and attend a red carpet movie premiere - in Fort Wayne! Ryan was a trooper and put on a tie and walked the red carpet with me and watched the Hallmark presentation of For Better or For Worse - based on a novel written by the late Diann Hunt. Even though Hallmark movies are really not his thing, it was so fun to do something like this!

And just as I was excited to introduce Ryan to things that had been meaningful to me throughout my life, he was excited to share new things with me as well...like taking me to Holiday World! Never mind that all I could handle was the lazy river and the wave pool - we had a blast spending the day a the water park!!!

We had a dream-come-true day when Ryan got to join me on-air as a guest co-host on BLT. It was his first time back in the studio since the day of our proposal, and he did a GREAT job!!

 We celebrated everything we could...from monthiversaries to engagementversaries...and we don't plan to stop anytime soon! I don't ever want to slack off and forget all the seasons of waiting and praying. Time to celebrate what God has done!

And we did our best to make even the mundane chores fun!! We spent a lot of time this year working on the house - maintaining the work we've done and improving it wherever we can! And of course, nothing make raking more fun than throwing your wife in a pile of leaves!!

So that's been our year! Not what we planned - but no less joy-filled.


Ryan, thank you for this year. Thank you for making it fun even when the circumstances around it weren't fun. Thank you for wanting to spend as much time with me now as you did when we first got married. Thank you for loving our home and our life and our celebrations. Thank you for praying for and with me, and for desiring, every day, to make our marriage stronger and more meaningful. Thank you for spoiling me in all the little ways you do. Thank you for date nights and cuddles on the couch during movies and buying into my plan to visit all the counties into Indiana. Thanks for helping me document our lives and for seeing joy and hope in moments when I've lost my ability to do so. Thank you for leading us and for being trustworthy and honest with me. Thank you for loving me in all the moments when I don't love myself. Thank you for making this year one giant adventure. 

I'm so glad I said yes to you, two years ago today. It was my best yes.

 Looking forward to starting our third season of life together. Looking forward to answers to long-prayed prayers. Looking forward to new adventures, more laughter, and even more love.

You are my joy, and I cherish you!!

 730 days down. Forever to go.

You're the only one I want to spend it with.

Rebekah + Ryan from Visual Effects by Seth on Vimeo.