Reminiscing

Before there were diapers everywhere. Back in the days when I managed to shower often. When the idea of kids to fill my home with laughter, and destroy every ornament on the Christmas tree, seemed so far off. In an era where I thought an all-nighter for a final exam was the definition of "sleep deprivation." When I was young...I fell in love with this man:

And on the day of this photo, a mere 4 weeks into our dating relationship...he accompanied me to a friend's wedding. And when I gushed over how cute a kid there was, he said, "You want some of those?" and I nearly fainted. But then...he surprised me by pulling me into a jewelry store. I was in such shock, I could barely remember my name, much less choose a wedding ring. But many stores later, I finally settled on one. It was platinum, small, and had with a small band of 3 diamonds to go with it. Seemed perfect to me, for this Scripture seemed to be our motto for our future:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

It had become apparent to me that if I was going to be able to take the plunge and enter into a marriage covenant, it was going to be with God's help. There was no way we could succeed on our own. So, this ring seemed perfect, with 3 diamonds on the smaller band, signifying God, Chuck, and me. The cord of 3 strands.

But the next day, Chuck showed me another ring. It was his grandmother's. When his grandfather passed away years before, she had given her rings to Chuck. It was a small platinum ring set, nearly identical to the one I had chosen. And one of the only times I ever cried about being engaged, was the first time she saw her ring on my finger and talked about how beautiful it all was.

Sorry, I digress..

Anyways, 5 months later, here we go:

And now, this year we celebrated 9 years of marriage. And like a good pair of shoes, it just keeps getting better with time.

All 3 boys stayed with Nana for 36 hours while we had 2 days to ourselves (THANK YOU NANA!!). And during our weekend, Chuck surprised me a second time by pulling me into a jewelry store. This time he did the picking, so my shock didn't hinder the situation. He had picked out a pearl necklace and earrings for me, which I love. They go well with the wedding bands, too.

Speaking of the wedding bands... The smaller band has 5 diamonds. Not 3. It was almost like a prophecy - the 2 of us and now our 3 boys. Our completed family.

Next year, we plan on creating a matching top band, to add to the set. So when we pass it on (hopefully to Charlie's firstborn son), we'll have contributed. It'll be a small band with...you guessed it...3 diamonds. Signifying the only way to have a successful marriage.

I love you, Chuck. Happy Anniversary.