Happy anniversary babe.  No matter comes our way I always know the best decision I've made is marrying you.  You are such a wonderful husband and an amazing father.  I love you so much!

When I got engaged I started searching for the perfect music.  Music is so important to me I knew I had to find just the right song to say what I wanted said.  It couldn't be just any sappy love song.  It had say what I felt.  It had to be true to us.  It had to be a song that I could listen to 50 years later and still bring back the emotions that I felt.

Darling you have set me free

Always give you what you need

and what you deserve

All the joy and all this love

I know that it is from above

And now together there's enough to fill this world

'Cause you are the love of my life

You are the love of my life

And now we're man and wife

When I met my hubby he wasn't supposed to be the one.  He was supposed to be the one that helped me feel better.  He was a nice guy that my mom introduced me to.  He was safe.  It took me six months to fall in love.    And in that six months what I came to realize was that he was everything I needed, nothing I expected.  Yes, he was safe.  Because he was solid.  Yes, sometimes predictable.  Because you could count on him.  He was the rock I was looking for.

And now i'm standing next to you

And darling I will see you through the rest of our lives

With you beside me I have won

I'm glad i've waited for so long

There is no doubt that you are the one

for me

You are the love of my life

You are the love of my life

When I first heard "We Are Man & Wife" by Michelle Featherstone I wept.  I wept because it felt like she pulled the words straight from my brain and put them to music.  I wept because I HAD waited for so long.  Waited for the person that would stick.  Someone I could count on to always try to not let me down (let's face it we all fail the one's we love sometimes).  I needed someone who would see through the facade to the real stuff inside.  This song for me said everything I wanted, needed to say to my hubby in a way I couldn't convey.

There'll be things(we will bring)

Everything is going to be fine

Now you're in my life

So I give you heart and soul

It's yours to take wherever you go

Through the years you'll always know it's yours to keep

God has blessed this sacred vow

Angels line above and look down

See the two of us, we found the perfect love

You are the love of my life

You are the love of my life

You are the love of my life

Yeah, you are the love of my life

Now we're man and wife

I don't believe in love at first sight.  I don't believe in one person that is your end all, be all.  What I do believe in (thank you Mom and Dad for modeling this) is happily ever after with your best friend.  I believe in being with someone who chooses you everyday and you choose them.  I believe in someone who will fight with you, stand with you and hold you up if you need that.  I married that.

Happy birthday to the love of my life.  You are my best friend, the person who's shoulder I lean on and the first person I want to tell all my funny stories to.  I'm so looking forward to this next adventure in our life.  I know with you by my side it's going to be amazing!  Loves you.

My hubby had a very difficult childhood. Vastly different than mine. He basically raised himself and has been on his own since he was a pre-teen. For all the reasons it happened, it is what it is and in my opinion he is an amazing man for it. And I think for this reason he clings to his family. He is the guy that keeps in touch with ALL the family members. Whether it's a phone call every 6 months or an email now and then, they all know that they can count on him to keep the relationship going. He is an amazing friend and remains your friend for years to come. He's always the guys saying, "Man we were best friends. I haven't talked to him in 10 years but we are buds." He nurtures his relationships in a way that only someone that has truly been alone can.

Hubby grew up with an older brother and sister. For the most part he has been very close to his sister. She is adoring and he is protective. Their relationship has always been solid and I know that he would do anything for her. The same can't be said for his relationship with his brother. I think when they were younger they had somewhat of a relationship but F (older brother) faced a lot of issues. I'm not going to spew his secrets out of the internets but suffice it to say that he has battled some things for 20 years or so that have caused a deep rift between him and both my hubby and his sister. I think they all lost out but I think my hubby suffered because despite having a brother he never HAD a brother. You should always be able to count on your parents and your siblings and when you can't it hurtful and disappointing. And just as sons need fathers I think brothers need brothers.

But all of that changed about 6 months ago. F started attending church regularly, drastically cleaned up his life and is basically not the person I first met when I met my hubby. He's grounded and solid, reliable and generally a different person. We are talking a COMPLETE turn around. It's been amazing.

But what is more amazing and what touches me more than anything is watching my hubby form a solid relationship with his big brother. They spend more time together now than they have in 20 years. They fish together, they hang out, they talk on the phone, texting each other like schoolgirls. It's like they have just met each other again for the first time.

Last night the family came over for dinner and a little hanging out. F showed up first and he and hubby were messing around on the computer. I was in the other room listening to them laugh and talk. They were writing an email and F was dictating and Hubby was typing. I was cracking up. They were brothers. Just hanging out. Enjoying each other's company. Picking at each other and having a good time. And as I threw dinner together and I listened to them in the other room my heart smiled. I want my hubby to have everything he deserves and getting back his big brother is a step in the right direction.

Today is hubby's birthday! My old man is another year old. We kept it low key tonight. Just dinner for him and I and the pooch. His present today is to be in complete control of the remote. Very hard for me to relinquesh that power!