Somewhere over the rainbow....

Today marks 9 years of marriage for Matthew and I. On this day, we wed in downtown Savannah, GA and in a few short moments, embarked on the most amazing journey. We have created a wonderful life, our love has grown and we now have two magnificent beings named Elisabeth and Jacob whom remind us of what is truly important each and every day. I thought I would write a letter to Matthew in honor of this day and share with you here. It's my way of publicly declaring the strength of our marriage and how much I am looking forward to the years to come.

My dearest Matthew,

I am sitting here now, just coming back home from a trip away for work. It seems as if we have been moving non-stop lately at record breaking speed. I thought I would enjoy the small 2-day break from my normal routine of car rides, homework, dinner and the million things that happen in between. I found instead that I wanted to have you and the kids right there with me so we could talk and laugh. I found I had more time to myself while riding on the plane and during the waits in between than I've had in a long time. I guess I'm trying to say that with all the craziness of our lives, I miss our family when we are not together. I just do not feel whole until the four of us are together. I ache for our time as a family at the dinner table each night so we can share and laugh and love.

We have had a wonderful nine years together. It is so hard for me to believe that it has been that long. I still have trouble grasping that our daughter is almost seven and our son is almost three. They are magnificent and beautiful and wonderful and challenging and a zillion other words I could use to describe them. My favorite time of day is when we lie in bed next to each other at night and laugh about something Jacob said or Elisabeth did. We laugh until we have tears coming out of our eyes. I can't wait for those moments each day!

We have been through so much together over the years. Moving, deployments, death, crazy third-shift schedules, jobs, newborns, sickness, doctors, schools and a myriad of other experiences. One thing has carried us through all of it - love. The only life I can imagine is one where I share it with you. We have always had each other and no matter what else was happening in the world, we remained close to one another.

I feel that I am the lucky one. I have you and our children. My heart is so full and I am so incredibly grateful for the love we share and the life we have. Tough times will inevitably rise but I always know that together we will persevere.

You make me laugh. You are everything to me. These past nine years have been incredible and I am so looking forward to much, much more. I thank you for this wonderful gift you've given me. I thank you for our children and for being you. I thank you for bringing love and joy and laughter into our house.

I take great pride and comfort in knowing that after each time it rains in our lives, we manage to find a rainbow. Our pot of gold is our family and everything revolves around it. Our kids and each other are our first priorities and nothing stands in the way of that. This life just would not work without either of us and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful partner to rely on. Thank you for loving me and for giving me the best life I could have imagined.

I love you. Happy anniversary.

Love,
Bobbi