Lee Stuart | Minivans Are Hot

First there was a boy:

And a little girl:

Through the carefully woven threads of life’s tapestry, they ended up in the right place at the right time. Both boy and girl knew, after only a couple of interactions, that they were designed to be life partners.

The boy and girl fell in love. And the girl learned a valuable lesson – you should always put pants on when a boy enters your room late at night.

The boy and girl spent more and more time with one another…sometimes crickets crashed the party (much to the girl’s dismay). The girl and boy realized how much fun life was when they were together. They even dressed up in vintage garb and headed out to a fancy restaurant for dinner, just to watch the way others would react.

They finally decided that they wanted to be together permanently. So the boy proposed. Eight months later, the boy and girl became man and wife.

In the ten years since we wed, Lee and I have climbed many mountains – some of them literal. We’ve weathered many ups and a few downs. We’ve survived unemployment, personal heartache and frustration. We’ve worked hard to establish individual careers. Lee has been my cheerleader as I’ve pursued my own passions, and I have been his as he’s developed his own dreams and goals.

Along the way we’ve forged sweet, sweet friendships and we are infinately grateful for the way that we have been poured into, loved and encouraged over the years.

We have traveled to the Bahamas (twice), California, Florida (too many times to count) and countless other places in between. In just two months we will embark on a new adventure as we travel through Italy and Austria together to celebrate our ten year anniversary. We laugh often, fight little and work hard to appreciate each other every day. It’s not always easy, but it’s seldom very hard.

In ten years, we’ve become mom and dad – three times.

It’s made being man and wife more of a challenge. We have to work harder at finding time to be together, but we don’t have to work hard at enjoying one another. I love to be with Lee as much today as I did ten years ago when I became his wife.

A couple of years ago, I shared the story of Lee’s wedding ring and the engraving on the inside. We are ten years into that goal. It is significant and I’m so honored to have spent the last ten years with this man who I love so much. I can’t wait for the next 50 years, 4 months and 22 days…plus.