This begins the first week of my twenty-first year of marriage!  Twenty-wonderful years!  BOTH of my readers must know by now the immense patience and total long-suffering required of a man to be married to flip, flighty me for so long–and to STILL pull off that happy look!

Seriously-I have learned so much about strength and persistence and just plain slogging through when things are hard form my man-watching him do the hard thing because it was best for US–watching him work a job that left him bruised and bone-tired every night in order to pay either the rent OR the electric. Knowing it was dead-end-and doing it anyway for us–for me!

Praying beside him has taught me what it means to kneel before the God of the Universe-to truly worship with words and to bring everything to Him completely trusting in the answer were more ideas before I experienced them at Scott’s side.

Argueing discussing ideas and ideals as we grow and change and prayerfully seek His will in who we are to become has always challenged me.  My man’s patience as he waits for me to catch up to him and prays for and encourages me as I struggle behind is mammoth!

Ever read his blog?  He is a thoughful, introspective scolar type-living with a flip, jokey, seriously BAD speller! Take a second to read THIS--we wrote his/her viewpoints of the same incident (the butchering of a pig) on his blog.  I think it illustrates how different yet complimentary we are.  It also illustrates why we have seperate blogs now…his erudite discussions and my flip observations collide in the blogosphere-yet they make life better in the home.  We have very differing readers who I doubt would read each other much (with the exception of those of you who know us and humor me! )

There is the matter of how patient he is with my handicaps as well…I cannot spell to save my life(in spite of a KILLER vocabulary-go figure)–he has to say “my way” or “your way” when directing me driving because I so often confuse left and right and he saves us frequently from financial disaster by being the one to subtract the checkbook-I am good at the faithful recording and regular check-writing and budget following-I cannot subtract for some reason-he saves us from purely silly errors by taking the calculater gently but firmly from my sweaty little hand!

Not to sound to bragadocious or anything…but have you seen the chest on the guy??    Twenty years and I still get some serious pitter-pats when he steps in the house after a long week on the road-who am I kidding-after 10 min in the yard!

Let’s also talk for a minute about the sheer number of animals I have foisted upon the poor guy!  Tiny baby things.. babysitting and special-care cases-birds, bees, and everything furry between–he has lugged water for salt AND fresh water aquariums and even bought as a surprise varying pets for me–NOT because he liked them but because he knew what would please me!  He teases me mercilessly about it yet just smiles and aquieses the very next time I ask.  My fav animal-related quote?  ” You have to know how much I love you-there is a farm animal in my BED!” (Purl  )

Twenty years and I still ALWAYS have fresh flowers in a case or two all summer long-he sometimes buys them but often stops and picks my favorite wildflowers on the side of the road-after a hot dusty day of work no less–he is teaching his boys to treat me like a queen as well..they bring me flowers and hold doors for me and I never walk anywhere without a man (of one size or another) to hold my hand!  Watching them look to Daddy for approval when they do these things and Daddy giving a quiet thumbs-up gives me chills!  I have no doubts of the way my boys will treat their wives-I can see them copy their Daddy-and with an example like that ANY woman will be lucky to have them!

And–have you SEEN the quality of the children he has given me? and given me? and given me? and given me? etc…  That is one SERIOUSLY QUALITY gene pool I been dippin into!

Happy twenty years, my Love, my Life.  When I look at who we used to be and who God has made us into together I am filled with anticipation of the next 40 years.  Actually the next 5 minutes look pretty sweet too!! I love you Scott!