14 years

Yesterday was our "official" anniversary, and 14 years ago today we were married in our church in Bern, Switzerland.
14 years!!!
The 14th is kind of a "magic" number for us, as we started dating on June 14th, got engaged on Feb. 14th the following year and married on the 14th of August of the same year. And now it's been 14 years.
We are just shaking our heads in disbelief.... no way did we picture ourselves with five children 14 years ago, and here we are, blessed beyond our wildest imagination!
The nice thing is, I would marry Mike again in a heartbeat. It is such a God thing how we complement each other.
HE - the free spirited dreamer, outgoing, always "on the move", supportive, loving, super-Dad kind of guy...
ME - the more introverted, organized, efficient, loving-to-cook-and-bake-for-everyone kind of gal...

We have both changed over the years - I have gotten more adventurous and he has gotten more grounded - but we remain an awesome team.
The kids know our differences too - if you want a Slushy, ask Daddy. If you want to go sledding or swimming, Mama is the better bet.

"Our" verse for our wedding was this:
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.... though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
(Ecc. 4)

So, so true.

Has it always been easy? I would be lying if I said it has.... we've gone through difficult transitions (moving on the other side of the world would be the most dramatic one for me), we've gone through the heartbreak of infertility, scraping by on a student's salary, dealing with the - of course unexpected- disabilities in our son or travelling to China to adopt our daughter, just to name a few. But the Lord has been gracious, and we have come out of these situations stronger, more united.

Mike, I love you! Now more than 14 years ago!

I will try to post one of our wedding pictures, but I'll have Mike scan one in first (Can you believe that I'm almost sure that I have lost all the negatives of our wedding pictures???). So for now I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures of the two of us. It was taken last year, and it was also part of our dossier.