I was 19 and I spent the day rushing from nails to hair to make-up. I arrived at the church in a whirlwind awaiting this moment I had dreamed my life about. You saw me in the halls of the church and calmly said “Hey Candi, I love you!” I of course ran and hid because it is bad luck to see the groom before the wedding, right? I sat in the nursery surrounded by friends and a pack of sweet little girls as we put on our dresses and waited for the clock to tell me it was time. I honestly don’t remember too much of the day as years have wiped my memory, but I do remember standing outside in the cold, moments before those back church doors opened. I remember the nerves that hit and how dark it was outside. I remember seeing the glow of candles through the tiny stain glassed windows on the doors. I remember feeling so ready for this next step but so nervous at the same time. We stepped into the entryway, I wrapped my arm around my dad’s. I watched as those doors opened and I looked at your face. You looked flushed and full of nerves the same way I did. But when I made my way down the isle and you took my hands in yours, I saw you relax the same way I did.

Those first moments of our life together have pretty much summed up the way the last 17 years have been. I live life excited and confident and yet full of nerves. I always have. And yet, the moment you take my hand in yours, I know it will all be ok. You are that rock of support for me. You are the calm to my storm, the steady place for me to land. You allow me to chase this crazy exciting life without abandon and never let me think any dream is too big. I can’t describe how much this life with you has meant. How much you have changed me, led me, and helped me grow. You always see so much more in me than I ever feel like I am. The love and grace you have shown me through the last 17 years of marriage means more than you will ever know. I don’t know how we figured it all out so early in life and survived all the hurdles through the years, but we did. We did it together. It hasn’t been easy, but somehow we always find ourselves back in each other’s arms living life together. I always know that any amount of love I throw at you, you are going to match right back. Your arms give me a safety that nothing else can. Your love makes me a better person and for that, I am forever grateful.
So Thank you for 17 wonderful years of life together. For the dreams we have chased, the love we have shared, the family we have built and the life we have made. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

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