6 Years.

Six years ago tonight I was laying in my bed in my childhood (well, more like teen-hood, but since that isn't a word, I'll stick with childhood) home in Wichita, Kansas filled with every imaginable emotion. My dad, mom and my 2 brothers and I had just finished praying together in what turned out to be an all-out cry-fest. It was the night before my wedding. We were all so excited for Andrew to join our family, so the tears were far from pure sadness...it was the reality that life was changing. When we finished praying, I remember us talking about how this was a bad indication of how dad was going to make it through the ceremony (for anyone who might be reading that isn't aware, my dad walked me down the aisle, gave me away, and then performed the rest of the wedding as Pastor). It turned out, we had released most of our tears while praying that night, and on the wedding day we all made it through the ceremony with minimal tears! It was a day full of celebration! Our families made it an incredibly special day! The day fter the wedding in Wichita, our families and entire wedding party had a reception in Springfield so we could celebrate with all of our friends who couldn't make it to the wedding. It turned out awesome- we all got to wear our dresses/tuxes twice (great deal!) and I got to pick out two different wedding cakes! It was an incredible wedding weekend!

We have lived in 7 different residences in 6 years (yikes!) between Springfield, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; and Beeston, Nottingham, England. 

Traveling is something we both love to do and since we said I do, Andrew and I have been blessed with an incredible adventure. We have traveled to Florida, North Carolina, New York, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, (and of course our home states of Kansas and Missouri); the Bahamas; Nottingham, London, Southampton, (and a few other cities) England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Paris, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Dublin, Galway, Cork, Ireland; and traveled across the Atlantic Ocean via The Queen Mary. Seeing that list seems like life our life together has been nothing but a dream, yet we have endured some very difficult trials. But, today I am focusing on the blessings God has given us.

It hasn't always been clear why certain things have happened, but God has been faithful. A year of job searching turned into nearly a year of living abroad full of the deepest friendships we could imagine. This is a story I need to sit down and detail so we will always remember the way God orchestrated the events. It is humbling and exciting all at once, and thinking about it all brings tears of thankfulness to my eyes. 

Andrew, thank you for being a loving and faithful husband. Your friendship and loyalty are some of my favorite qualities about you. Your ability to learn is truly a gift. I am always in awe of your knowledge...sorry for not always listening as you try to share it. ;) You are a dreamer and continue to stretch my realist mind frame. You are an inspiring writer and I believe it is going to open a lot of doors in our future. You are an old soul who loves simple things. Your faith is so strong and you encourage me to keep on believing when mine is weak. You are rarely at a loss for words, yet you are a great listener and communicate in a way that makes people feel special. You make me laugh and smile. I am so grateful for the love story God has written between us...I hope there are many more chapters! The past 6 years have flown by...I can't wait to hop on a plane and continue traveling the world together! <3