Thirteen Years Later

 

Happy anniversary, Ryan!

                Our marriage is officially a teenager! This milestone settles in the most deep and beautiful way in my heart. After all those years of praying and longing for a husband, I still shake my head in disbelief that Shafferland has now become a teenager in marriage years. What an absolute welcomed gift!

                Today is so much colder than our wedding day. We didn’t get to travel to warmth this year, since I was nearly out of vacation days. Indiana decided to gift us with winter weather to celebrate becoming marriage-teenagers, so we’re bundled up and remembering the days of 82 degrees at the beginning of December.

                On this auspicious occasion, I wanted to share thirteen of my favorite things about our wedding day that were indeed a foreshadowing of life with Ryan throughout these thirteen years.

Starting our days together. We pushed aside the tradition of NOT seeing one another before our wedding and got up early to meet up and spend some time together, just the two of us, before all the busyness of the day began. We met in the courtyard, walked to the edge of the water, and sat to talk, drink coffee, pray, and prepare for the day to come. While our “normal” days don’t include some of the same luxuries, I really do love starting each day with Ryan. Sometimes we work out. Sometimes we sit on the couch, reading our Bibles. Sometimes we talk while we eat our breakfast. But each day begins together, and it really is a joy.

Serving each other. The morning of our wedding, we washed each other’s feet, and it was one of the sweetest times. We don’t do daily foot washing, but we do strive to serve each other well throughout each day. I appreciate Ryan’s attention to the little things that make all my days easier: gas in the car, a warmed car in the winter, daily dish-washing, a fresh cup of coffee each morning, texts and Marco Polos throughout the day, grocery shopping with me, making phone calls so I don’t have to, and so much more. He serves and loves well. He is also so good about thanking me for my ways of serving: packing lunches with notes, planning and cooking meals, doing the laundry, tending to details, and planning our trips!

Admiration and appreciation. It’s no secret that we both worked a lot harder on our appearance on our wedding day than we do on any regular day, but I love it that we both still pause to appreciate each other on the regular days. Ryan is so good about telling me I’m pretty, or he likes my hair, and I try not to pass up any opportunity to tell him he’s hot and handsome! 😊 Bless his heart, he’s lived through a lot of versions of Bekah: weight, hair color, hair cut, makeup experiments…and he is always so kind!

Tackling life, hand in hand. We did a lot of our wedding pictures ahead of the ceremony, since it took place so late in the day, and that was one of my favorite things. I loved all the extra time with Ryan on that day, and I loved getting to walk around with him, hand in hand, as we did our pictures. We still love holding hands: in the car, in church, on the couch, out and about…it’s my favorite. Well. And kissing. Also my favorite.

 Taking on the tears. It wouldn’t be a throwback to our wedding if I didn’t share the ugly-cry picture, right??? For me, I felt like I did pretty well with the tears on our wedding day. They happened a few times, but there were far more smiles than tears. Even so, Ryan was so sweet that day to see the deep love behind the tears, not rush them, and squeeze my hand a little tighter. And he’s done it a million times over in the last thirteen years. He hears my fears, welcomes my grief, and doesn’t try to fix it.

Establishing and carrying on traditions. We didn’t really plan it, but our wedding day established some traditions – especially in the land of photography. Our beloved chalkboards have been with us for thirteen years now. Some of the pictures we took that day have been recreated every year on our anniversary, and today will be no different. I love it that we have been able to create traditions and carry them forward, year after year. It’s a gift to have them established and to expect them each year!

Promises made and kept. We made a lot of promises in the sand that day thirteen years ago, and we’ve kept them. In a world where promises are so easily broken, I am extra grateful for a husband who keeps his promises and makes it so easy for me to keep mine!

Endless kisses. I’m not sure how we ended up with a dog who hates kissing, but we did. We have to sneak them in now when she isn’t looking, but I still love kissing Ryan and need to figure out how to get Lexi on board with it.

Watching sunsets. We had no idea, thirteen years ago, that we would live on a lake and have beautiful sunsets at our disposal, but we do, and I’m so thankful. We loved watching the sun slide down out of view that night, and we still love it, still photograph it, still stand in awe of it all the time.

Coffee! Our wedding day began and ended with coffee. If you didn’t know, we toasted with coffee at our reception! We still love it – probably even more! – and still drink it together every day. Still have those mugs, too!

Prayer and Bible study. I am so thankful to have a praying husband. I am thankful we can pray together. I am thankful he prays for me even when he isn’t with me. I am thankful that he calls on me to pray for him even when I’m not with him. To have a spouse who is a prayer warrior is a complete gift.

Ending our days together. When we were engaged, Lynne Ford told me it would be a great gift when we were married and didn’t have to go back to our respective homes each night. SO TRUE. I love it that we get to be together until our eyes close in sleep!

Walking together, even when we don’t know where we are going. Even when you’re walking blindly, it’s a whole lot more comforting to walk alongside someone you love. Ryan is my constant, and I sure love him for it.

                Ryan, I love you with my whole heart. I loved our wedding day and I’ve loved the thirteen years we’ve shared. Thank you for being the same man (only better and even more handsome) than you were on our wedding day. Thank you for keeping your promises, loving me well, and embracing all my crazy ideas. Thank you for smiling for a million pictures and making our life together more beautiful than I could have dreamed or imagined. You are my joy, and I sure love you!

                Happy anniversary!