first kiss.

It was 15 years ago yesterday, November 11th, that Mike and I had our first kiss together.  It's hard to believe that the time has gone so quickly and at the same time I can hardly remember my life or a memory with out him in it.  What a wonderful life!

We were both going to college at BYU.  I had just come home from a mission and so had he.  I was serious about getting a degree and studying and becoming the 'A' student I had never been (I've always LOVED learning but school is not the way my brain works...).  I had decided that I didn't want to date much.  I wanted to find an awesome thing to study and become really accomplished. 

Well...I ended up getting asked out all of the time...way more than I did when I was a freshman and I was going out a lot and also getting some really good grades.  Things were going really well...except for this one guy that every girl in my building seemed to love to hang out with.  He'd come over to my apartment a few times and I had totally been rude to him...hoping he would get the hint.  He didn't, and I'm so glad.

One day I made dinner for a whole bunch of friends and at the last minute invited Mike over.  He was the only one who stayed to help with the dishes and I was hooked.  We started spending all kinds of time talking and going everywhere together but I had no idea I wanted to spend ALL of my life with him.  I thought he was a great friend and he was wonderful to talk to about real things.

I finally got a clue and and we've been together ever since.

Mike has been such a gift to me in so many ways. He is giving, thoughtful, kind, and encouraging.  He's amazing at seeing problems from a grounded perspective and he's understanding when I'm feeling overwhelmed.  He always wants to know how he can help.  He gives me his time, his listening ear, his thoughtful words, his heart, and so much more. 

There will never be enough words to say how much I love him or ways to show how blessed I am to have him in my life.  More than I really know, he does things for me that I don't see...and I feel like I never say well enough what his love has done to me.  It's given me strength when I thought I didn't have any left, given be sight when I was blinded, and hope when I was down, and joy that makes me feel as though I may burst at the seams.

Every year for Christmas we try to give each other a gift of meaning...something from our heart.  A few years ago Mike made me this book, "A Life of Love"...and it's seen a lot of love (as you can see from the cover).  It's one of the kids' favorite books and definitely one of my favorite books.  I love the stick people and the sweet simplicity of the text and the ideas.  There is so much of Mike...of us...in this book.

I am so lucky.  And like Miss Carrie Underwood says,  "Some hearts just get lucky sometimes..."

Happy first-kiss-aversary, Mike....

love. LIFE.