On This Day..

8 years ago, I had the honor and joy to marry my best friend! Three and a half years after we started dating, on a bright, sunny 65 degree day in March, we exchanged vows in front of our very loving, supportive family and friends (and a few people we didn't know:)

We were talking tonight about how when you get married, you mean the vows as you pledge them to one another before God and family but you don't really know what it will mean to keep them. I feel like we have really had a chance over the past 8 years to fulfill our vows and love each other through sickness (some serious, some not) and health, for richer or for poorer (but mostly poorer!), through good times and bad (some of both). We have had chances to test our commitment to God and to one another many, many times and have grown so much through our years together.

It's amazing to be able to have the chance to love and be loved like this. So Happy Anniversary to the most faithful, loving friend I've ever had in my life. I love you, Ben, and feel honored to share in this life with you!

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And for your enjoyment, a little questionnaire:)

Favorite memory of our wedding:
Ben~"Riding in the car with you and getting Rally's (fast food) right after our wedding."
Heidi: "I think my favorite memory is our first dance where you sang 'My Girl' to me and seeing and feeling everyone's smiling faces around us while we danced."

Were you nervous the day of our wedding?:
Ben~"I mean, just excited. Not nervous."
Heidi~"Not one bit! I felt such amazing peace that day!"

3 Things that you like about our marriage/each other:
Ben~"1)Your smile  2)I like that we get the privilege of parenting together. 3)That our love gets stronger."
Heidi~"1)How we laugh together and have a lot of silly inside jokes. 2)How sure we are about our commitment and faithfulness to each other. 3)I still like holding hands with you."

Piece of advice to newlyweds:
Ben~"Keep God first."
Heidi~"Never stop making time to talk and share with each other."

Something you look forward to in the future:
Ben~"I look forward to owning a house with you."
Heidi~"I hope we get to travel together someday and see all the places in Europe we've been dreaming about for so many years."

(Ben's question)Did you like our wedding cake better on the day we got married or on our first anniversary?
Ben~"I enjoyed it more the year after because it had been preserved well and I didn't really have a chance to enjoy it on our wedding day."
Heidi~"I only got one bite on our wedding day and was afraid to eat much of it on our anniversary. As I recall, I ate one piece and you finished the cake!"