The Husband...

My marriage is one of the few things that I hold as sacred. I am sure that most of you are aware of the amazing man that I married but there are not that many that truly KNOW him. He claims that he is simple and easy to figure out and while that is partially true, he also does not often break out of his shell.

People laugh at our story when they hear it. In 2003 we both logged on to Christiancafe.com and created a profile. I was 30 yrs. old and practically a spinster, he a 28 yr. old drummer. He did a search on the website for girls 5 feet and under and my profile popped up. There was no picture but he messaged me anyway. He did request a picture pretty early on and I might have ran out, bought a scanner, in the pouring rain, locked myself out of the house and when I finally got in, scanned a glamour shot to him, which he promptly made fun of. Brian is NOT a fan of glamour shots! Four months later we were engaged and were married in 11 months from start to finish. Ten years later, we are still vastly different in our interests but the core values are still the same.

Over the years I have fallen more in love with the man I married. Most of you have seen this guy over the years...

He is strong in his passion for his God and family. He works hard to provide spiritually,mentally, emotionally, and financially for us. He has walked down dark roads with us displaying unwavering faith, unlimited love and steadfast devotion.

When Brian is relaxed and ready for fun you can catch him doing things like this...

The man is hysterical! Seriously! He finds fun in sneaking up on me in the house and scaring the daylights out of me. He dances around the house with the girl in what can only be described as "old white boy trying to get out of the 80's" and it usually has Anna Beth and I giggling till we have tears in our eyes.

Then there is this...

Yes, Shorty McShredd. It is a nod to his youth and he LOVES doing it. Once a year, we make the trek downtown for him to preform in the local Air Guitar competition. I have seen many of your baffled faces when you hear what he does. It is ok, I often have the same look. It is one of shock, admiration and questioning. I have watched him practice his routine and perform for 3 years. Every year, we walk into a place that I would never normally go and let me share with you what I see...The first year, no one knew him but they found him funny and he gained some respect. His performances are vastly different than the competition because he will not do something in the routine that he would not do in front of his daughter. The second year, people recognized him. I started noticing that they treated him with respect and when talking directly to him or I, they would refrain from cussing like a sailor. This third year, he walked in and was greeted warmly, people genuinely happy to see him, giving him hugs, and again showing a level of respect to him that they did not with each other. You see, my husband, in his quiet way, has proven that he is different. He has shown Christ in a place that many Christians would never step. I sat there amazed at what I was witnessing. My man, has become friends with these guys. He lives his life in front of them boldly but quietly. They know he has something they do not. They follow him on FB. They comment on his family and they watch him.

THIS is the man that I love so deeply. The man that leaves notes like this on my steering wheel a couple times a month...

The man that lays in bed reading with our girl each night and praying over her as she falls asleep. The man that puts away the laundry and scrubs the bathrooms when I ask. The man that refuses to go to bed until I go with him every night. The man that emails me every morning when he gets to work and tells me he is praying over me. The same man that prays out loud over us as we are making lunches and getting ready to walk out the door each day. He is not perfect...he is oBsessed with football. He gets grumpy the same as I do but he never stops loving us. He never stops encouraging us in our relationships with God.

I am grateful for the man that God fused my life with. I am proud to walk alongside him, therefore I cherish my marriage. I work hard to be the encouragement he needs. We work daily to serve each other. We learn and grow from the mistakes we make and we make time to talk about life together. Hold that thing God gave you sacred my friends. It is an incredible gift and picture of our relationship with our heavenly Father!