One Year Ago...

One year ago on this day I married Renee Simms. 

It was a Saturday last year, and I intentionally began the day as I would any other Saturday.  I woke early, had my usual time in the Scriptures, and then walked my dog.  I consumed my usual Eggo Blueberry waffles then cleaned myself up.  That is where the "usual routine" ended.  I jumped in my nearly-new SUV and headed up I-270 with a rented tuxedo and overnight bag stowed in the back.  My destination?  First Evangelical Free Church, where I dressed quickly and quietly in a children's Sunday school room.  Some of my closest male friends and family soon trickled in and did the same.  From here, well, you can figure out the end of the story.  Vows were said, rings were exchanged, and just before 1:00 p.m., I was a married man.

I must say, it's been quite the ride but I am secure in the knowledge that I am doing it with the one that the Creator picked out for me before Creation even happened.  Can't wrap my mind around that one, but that's beside the point.  To know that I'm with the one I'm supposed to be with is just so freeing, somehow.  We've enjoyed the highs and learned from the (surprisingly) few lows that we've experienced.  Our lives have definitely been enriched as we've grown individually and as a couple.  I personally have been stretched and challenged in ways I never could have imagined.  The transition to married life after a many years of single-ness was pretty much smooth.  The dreaded combining of households was no big deal.  I lost my job after 14 years in February and my wife has been my rock as I have navigated the choppy waters of unemployment.  We were pleasantly surprised to discover God had blessed us with pregnancy a few months ago.

So, as we begin our second year of marriage, we continue to look forward with faith to the future.  Our love for each other grows stronger every day and I can confidently say marriage is a good thing and I highly recommend it!