In praise of Dad.

I just feel the need to take a second right now and say how much I love my husband. If you can't handle love and other such sappy things, you should probably move towards the exits, folks.

Many people have watched over the last 3 years as we met, fell in love, got married and changed our lives...but what they don't know is how much he has changed mine. Loving him and living by his side on a daily basis has made me a better woman, truly. I am a more confident, relaxed, funny, open-minded, intelligent woman than I've ever been because of him. I feel like I've come into my own so much as a result of learning from him. I'm more mature, more able to admit my own faults, or at least allow them to be pointed out. I am more "real", & ok with not having everything together perfectly, and I can laugh at the craziness instead of stress over it, analyze it and write a ten step process on how to fix it now.

Our marriage has seen more ups and downs in its first few years than most probably see in their first ten... We have experienced everything from multiple miscarriages, job loss, financial struggles, parenting struggles, loss of several loved ones, health scares, moving, loss/change of long standing friendships, my parents' divorce (which really took a toll on me), & many other things. Now we are facing a premature omphalocele baby who will spend months in the NICU.

Still I know that not only will the Lord be ever faithful to us as He always has been, but my Steven will continue to be a rock that I can cling to and a safe shelter to weather whatever storms may come knowing that I'm not alone. Most men, if faced with all this, would be freaking out about how to make it all work, withdrawing and becoming a bitter, somewhat cynical mess until the light at the end of the tunnel was blinding...but not my man. He is too busy ensuring we all get the individual quality time and reassurance we need from him, helping me take it easy by doing things around the house for me, and otherwise keeping me sane in ways only he can. Steven is the only person on this planet that can hold me and tell me it will be ok that I actually believe, and he can still make me laugh while the tears fall. His unwavering support and leadership of our family means more to me than he will ever know, and in our culture that just doesn't recognize dads nearly enough, I wanted the world to know what a great man I have and how lucky Tate is to be his son.


I love you more than you'll ever know, Steven! I appreciate you, I trust you, and I'm so very lucky to have you.