Once Upon A Time...

...there was this guy. He was making his own choices and doing his own thing.

...there was this girl. She was wondering why she never had a boyfriend all of her high school years. (i know...lame hu?) One day she was told to start praying for her future spouse...even though she had no idea who he was. So she did...starting in the summer, through the fall. Then she stopped, only remembering ever so randomly to do it.

...a world away this guy was at college. His choices started controlling his life. Then some missionaries of his own faith found him and helped him have the strength to make better choices. He put his life back together and went on a mission. While there, he had a lot of dreams about a girl. At first he could never see her face. But then his dreams revealed her to him. Then he came home and went to college.

...this girl finally graduated high school and went to college too.

...this guy and this girl were at a church activity one night and crossed paths when the girl was playing ping pong and the ball got stuck where she couldn't reach. So this guy went and got it for her. BUT WAIT! This guy recognized this girl. It was the girl from his dreams!

...the next night was a dance. This girl was dancing the night away not noticing this guy watching her the whole night until this guy got up the courage to ask her to dance. Then they danced. And danced. And danced. And have been dancing ever since. (Not literally, this girl is a little freaked to dance because you never know when somebody will watch you all night long)

Derek and I have been married for 5 years today! It was truly inspired when my young women camp leader challenged me to start praying for my man when I was years from knowing him. (I was between freshmen and sophomore years in high school) Derek desperately needed those prayers in his life at the time I was offering them. (He was a freshmen in college trying to find his way when he ran into the missionaries)

We have spent our married lives as students, Derek at UW, me at beauty school. We have spent our married lives as a student and a working women. We have spent a short time of our married lives as pet owners. We have spent our married lives trying and trying to start a family, with a lot of heart ache before success. We have spent our married lives apart for a whole summer, Derek working and living with his parents, me staying in Laramie at the salon. We have spent our married lives as proud parents of a beautiful son. We have spent our married lives as a medical school student and a stay at home mom. While married life has presented lots of joy and sorrow, one thing is for sure. We have always been as much in love as the first time we said those three words to each other. In fact, those three little words have grown to mean so much more. Those three words aren't so small. They are bigger than words can tell. I LOVE YOU!

Here's to us, this guy and this girl. :)