The BEST

Sometimes I don't know how I got so lucky.


Really, I am the luckiest.  I am.


I had a boyfriend in high school for 2 years.


Then I decided that I didn't want a boyfriend anymore and wanted to be a single girl.


And so I was for most of the rest of my high school years.


I went to college as a single girl, but always thought I would meet my husband during my college days.  Or at least I hoped I would.  If you haven't already figured this out, I am kind of a planner and meeting my future husband during college... well it was just part of my plan.


I had a boyfriend for the first year or so of college.  That relationship came to an unfortunate end.


And then I was single again.  


I spent what seemed like most of college as a single girl.  It was fun for a while.  


But then it got old.  Very old. 


I was surrounded with friends who had boyfriends.  And they all seemed like they had the BEST boyfriends.  Admittedly, I was jealous.


I was the girl who was constantly being "set up" for party dates.  I was "set up" more times than I care to count.  None of those "set ups" ever materialized and by the beginning of my Senior year in college, I proclaimed that I was "done with fraternity guys".  I longed to meet a nice boy... a real gentleman who was respectful and had values.


And I was secretly scared that I wasn't going to meet my future husband in college.  If I'm being really honest, that thought kind of terrified me.  


So when my friend, Kelly, said that she and her friends thought they had found the perfect "non-fraternity" guy for me, I was more than willing to go along with their plan of "getting me to meet" him.  The funny thing about it is that even though I had not officially met this "perfect guy", I had this feeling inside of me that if I ever did meet him, he just might be the one... the one I would want to be with forever.  


Through a series of trials and errors, I did eventually meet this person.  This "perfect guy". 


We met in October of 1995, our Senior year in college.  


And that ended my "single girl" status... forever!


I always jokingly tell people that Vance asked me to marry him on our first date.  And it's actually true that he did, in jest, ask me to marry him on our first real date!  There is more to that story that I will save and share only with my children.


Nevertheless, he did ask me a second time.  This time he had my father's permission and a ring!


Almost exactly three years after meeting each other, Vance and I promised God and each other that we would love and honor each other every single day for the rest of our lives.

On our wedding day, my dad gave a toast.  I still remember part of that toast.  He told our wedding guests that when I called home to tell my parents that I had met a boy, that he instantly knew something was different than from the other times.  He heard something different in my voice.  He went on to share that he really knew it was different when I brought Vance through their front door only a month or so later!  He said that I had a "sparkle in my eye" and he knew at that moment, that Vance was the one for me.

He was right.


I might have thought in my young years that my friends had the BEST boyfriends, but I had no idea that God was saving the very BEST for me!

Vance is the BEST husband a person could hope for.  He is supportive of anything and everything that I want to do. He is loving and patient with me in ways that no other man would consider being.  He puts me first.  He forgives my shortcomings and puts up with my fragile emotions.  He loves me in spite of my many faults and I know it. 


Vance is the BEST daddy I could have dreamed of.  He is patient and nurturing with our children.  He plays with them even when he is exhausted after working a long day.  He interacts with each of them in a special and different way.  He is involved in every aspect of their lives... he helps me teach them and care for them in ways that many men don't.  He is an impeccable role model to them.  He loves them unconditionally and they know it.


Vance is the BEST man I know.  His character and integrity is of the utmost importance to him.  His value system is rooted deep within him and his love for Jesus is something that was taught to him long ago by his wonderful parents.  He is a tireless worker, both in his work life and home life.  He has great perspective and strives to be fair, honest, and caring in everything that he does.  He is loyal, trustworthy, hard working, faithful, self sacrificing and just downright nice!  And in case he didn't know that, shame on me for not telling him more often!


Thank you, Vance, for giving me 12 years of the BEST of everything!  


We've been through 12 years of marriage, 3 different apartments, 2 temporary residences, 3 different homes, 4 different cities, 6 different jobs, 4 different cars, graduate school, lost jobs, the loss of a parent, scary medical times, fun vacations, lots of debt, 1 dog, 3 beautiful children together (and now 2 sets of washer/dryers - thank you)!  Through ups and downs, you truly have been the BEST friend, husband, and partner that I could have ever hoped for.


I am the luckiest.  I really am.  


I don't know why, but God saved the very BEST man for me!  

I love you!

Happy 12th Anniversary!