Some of the right reasons.

Ivan and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary recently on October 5. It feels like we've been married a lot longer than that because of how full our lives have been--buying a home, working hard on making it a liveable and lovely place, being pregnant and then giving birth to our first baby, and of course now the grand task of learning how to raise a child with grace, wisdom and love. There has been a lot more that has happened and filled our 3 years together; we sure know how to pack it in.


Ivan and I celebrated our anniversary by making reservations for the Wildfire Grill. Never been there before and heard great reviews about it from some of my patients. The dinner was delicious, wine very tasty, but the ambiance and setting left something to be desired. I was hoping for a quieter and more intimate setting, but the place was packed to the brim (kind of like the Cheesecake Factory on a Saturday night). I think the highlight of my night was wearing this fur shrug my mother gave me as she was clearing out a lot of her "props" from her photography studio. It looked stunning over my silky warm toned cranberry blouse with sparkly jewlry to match and my long brown hair all curled. I felt like a movie star. I don't think I have ever worn a fur before. I need to create some more outfits to go with it. Lovely.

As many of you, marriage is not something that gets easier the farther you walk down the road. Marriage is a lot of work. A work of investing, forgiving, keeping open and transparent, serving the other, loving. And then you throw a baby into the mix and it gets even more tricky to keep up the investment. Do not fear, I am not the type to throw in the towel when it comes to commitments such as marriage. However, I do try to be honest with myself about the reality of life, who I am, and my struggles. I recently asked Ivan, "Did we get married for all the 'wrong reasons'?" And he, with amazing wisdom, said, "Not necessarily, we got married for some of the right reasons too." Very true. Some of those right reasons being: we loved each other so much so that we were willing to lay down our lives for the other, commit to one another, make vows to one another; we both love Jesus and our trying to walk the journey of faith with the hope of heaven before us; we delighted in many things about one another and found joy in the other person; we became friends, loyal and deep friends. Indeed, there were some "right reasons" we were wed to one another.

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Ivan! I love you with all my heart and am honored to know you as my husband!