Happy 4th Anniversary to US!

Today marks the four year wedding anniversary for me and Mike =) ... it also marks the day that we have to take our RCFE recertification exam in Woodland Hills!!!  Mike and I have been joking that nothing would be more romantic than if the two of us passed the test with flying colors =) ... in all seriousness though, I told him we'd "postpone" our anniversary celebration for our East Coast trip in a couple of weeks.  We have WAYYYYY too much going on right now for him to be stressed out about planning an anniversary celebration.  We'll just keep it simple today (prob just eat out tonight with Zoe).

Our test went well (thank goodness Jeric was able to watch Zoe while we got our test on ... see -- God has EVERYTHING covered!!! He made sure Jeric would be available to help babysit Zoe while at the same time have a part time job with Mike on Tuesdays and Thursdays -- BRILLIANT!!!!).  On the way back to Oxnard, Mike asked, "Soooo ... what has been your favorite part about being married these past four years?"  The answer was easy.  I told him I really loved that no matter what I did or got into, I knew I'd always have him right by my side.  And that made me feel so good ... knowing that no matter what, he'll be right there with me.   I told him it was different from knowing that my family (my mom, brothers, etc.) would always be there for me ... it meant more that we were going to be there for each other because we freely chose to do so ... that it was our own choice to enter into this covenant with God of "FOREVER" and that we didn't do it because we were "obligated" to do so ... kind of like the old adage "You can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends".  It took me a while to explain it to Mike, but after a few attempts, I think he got it =).  He said my answer was "so deep" compared to his "I love that I go to sleep and wake up with you every day".  His answer was still very sweet but he offered another sentiment: He said me being in his life makes everything greater ... that I make everything greater and more meaningful. Awwwwww ... now I remember why I fell in love with this man over 12 years ago =).

We continued to reflect on how we celebrated our past anniversaries -- Year One: Trip to New York; Year Two: Trip to Cancun; Year Three: Went to church and then had sushi ... with Zoe in tow; Year Four: Passed (hopefully) the RCFE exam and had a nice simple dinner ... with Zoe in tow =).  What I've come to realize is that celebrating your wedding anniversary isn't always about extravagant gifts or trips, but more importantly, just taking the time to REFLECT and COMMUNICATE your love for one another ... that conversation we had on our way back to Oxnard was so beautiful and was "celebration" enough for us ... we are soooo blessed to have each other as life partners. Words can't even begin to fully capture just how HAPPY Mike has ALWAYS made me (and will always make me) ... he is truly one of my greatest blessings and I will forever feel indebted to the Lord for such an extravagant gift He gave me so early in my life ...

I'm truly walking on cloud 9 today just thinking about how awesome my marriage is.  Not only has it produced an awesome child in Zoe, it has also transformed who I am.  Every year I've been with Michael I feel like I'm constantly growing and learning and getting closer each day to a better version of myself.  I found the perfect card for him:  One the front of the card, it was a silohouette of a couple walking together under a big umbrella.  The message on the front said, "In a world that seems more unpredictable every day, the love and life we share is my sanctuary ... " Inside the card it read: You are my peace. My refuge. My assurance that whatever else is goign on around us, we have the one thing that matters most of all - love.  I have faith in that. And as much as ever ... I have faith in us." How PERFECT is that, right? (Thank you God for leading me to find this beautiful card at Walmart of all places!!!!).  I wrote in the card that the image on the front of the couple walking under the umbrella really captured "US" because the umbrella represents God in our marriage ... it represents His constant protection from any "rain" or "sunshine" that may lead us astray from the path He has laid out for us to follow.  God is at the center of our marriage ... at the center of our lives ... He is the umbrella that ensures we can withstand any kind of weather in life ... that we can find peace in knowing all we have to do is keep walking forward and He'll take care of the rest.

PS:
Just for fun, I thought I'd post a picture taken of me and Mike about a month after we started dating.  He was only 18 and I was only 19 ... hard to believe we both GREW UP and became adults -- let alone parents =)

I still remember how giddy I was to have Mike wrap his arms around me like this ... and I'm HAPPY to say I still have those same giddy feelings -- except now it's when he volunteers to change Zoe's poopie diaper! Hahahhaa!