Today’s post is a little different then my normal posts. I wanted to share a bit of myself. I don’t talk often about my husband and our marriage, I keep it to myself. I talk some about being a fire wife and the world I live in (far different then what most people assume). I share a bit about being a wife in my about me page but I’ve never really shared our love story.
Today is an appropriate day to do so, today we celebrate 14 years of marriage. Like the majority of our anniversaries we celebrate apart; my husband is at the firehouse and I home with the kids. But that’s ok! You see, we don’t need a special day to remind us of the commitment we made, we live it everyday. And no, it’s not all rainbows and happiness everyday, we’ve had some moments, but we are happy because I am grateful, and here’s why…
So here is our story: almost 25 years ago my husband and I met in high school. I was a spoiled, sassy gymnast and he was a smelly, skinny wrestler. In our high school our sports shared a gym with a thick plastic curtain to separate us. We never dated in high school, but we hung out in the same group. He was best friends with my neighbor, who was more like my brother, so we were always together. We spent summer nights on the beach, in the fields playing flash light tag, hanging out at friends pools and just having fun. We grew up together. We stayed in contact, as best we could (back then you had to pay long distance phone calls and that was way expensive, oh the troubles our kids will never understand!) when we both went to college.
God had plans set in stone for us years before we ever knew it. My life took a detour that was not planned, or even thought about, but with my faith I accepted and leaned on God to continue with my life. My daughter came into this world and I became a single mom, quickly. When my daughter was 9 months old, my sweet husband and I finally began dating, like officially this time! Life was rough during this year, September 11 happened, I was working 2 jobs to take care of my sweet baby girl. Over the course of 3 years my husband and I dated off and on. Sometimes we just weren’t in the same place in life, and that’s ok. We loved each other enough to let go. After 6 short months of dating while he was in the fire academy he popped the question and we began to plan a wedding.
You see, at this time in my life it wasn’t about only me, it was about my daughter. My husband didn’t care about what people thought, he agreed to love me and my daughter. The day we said “I do’s” he made a commitment to my almost 4 year old at that time. My husband was my hero, he loved me for me, he loved my daughter for who she was. The past 14 years haven’t been the easiest. The lifestyle of a fire family is stressful enough, we went and added 2 more kids, quit a number of side jobs (and my career). We’ve made bad decisions, we’ve made good decisions. But no matter what, we made them together. God has always been a priority in my life, my faith has grown over the years and continues to grow each day. This was not always true with my husband. I have enjoyed being a large part of my husband’s faith journey in his life. 14 years ago I can honestly say, God was not our #1 priority in our lives. Today He is. Every struggle in life, every uncertainty, every change, we pray, we lean on our faith to see us through it all.
Our daughter is almost an adult now, and in a relationship of her own. I have enjoyed watching her grow and become her own person. I have enjoyed watching her in her own faith and her own relationship. We have been honest with her about our journey in life, where it began, the roads we took that led back to each other, and the importance of faith in relationships. 
I will someday share more of my story, I know it would help a number people. But today’s post is more about my hero husband who saved me and my daughter and loved us for who we are. For a husband who walked into the unknown, found a love for the lord that continues to grow each day. A man who isn’t afraid to share his faith, his life and his love with others. A man who is friends with any one, loves Nebraska football AND Virginia (because he married into it). A man who works 2 jobs but still comes home and plays with his kids and stays up to explain superhero movies to his wife. A husband who is also my best friend and accepts my moodiness, my crazy ideas and never judges me. I pray for everyone to find their soulmate, the one who is their best friend, the one who makes you happy each and every day!
“Real love stories never have endings” – Richard Bach
