No Other Man!

Sometimes I sit and think about how much life I led before ever meeting Jeff and his family. Now, it seems as if my last name has always been what it is now....that I was never a single entity in search of my future. As I think back on some of the boys/men that I dated, I wonder how I could have even been attracted to them. I always knew that I wanted a husband much like my dad. He was always a good provider, yet had the time to spend time with us. He took care of things...if he didn't know how he figured it out. I don't think that I ever saw him lose his temper, but handled things in a calm manner that taught us that big problems were not always so big. When we lost our mom to cancer when we were teenagers, he became as good a mom for us as he was a dad. I know that these were big shoes to fill for any man, but he did it. I knew that I wanted this same genuine guidance for my own family. I don't know what I ever did for God to choose the man that He did for me. He worked my life out just as He needed to for me to find Jeff. I can look back over so many times in my life that I didn't understand what God was doing. Now I know that God was working my life out....leading me to not only Himself, but also to Jeff and the family that I would become a part of.

Jeff turned 39 this week...always just a little younger than I am :)! We also celebrated 16 precious years of marriage on the day after his birthday. The kids and I got him a cookie cake and a subscription to gamefly. He was very happy with that. Normally I DO NOT give gifts early. I can hold on to a gift for a year if I need to, but what I got Jeff for our anniversary this year was just too much to keep to myself. I ended up giving it to him a day early...on his birthday. I filled a container with all sorts of travel items and pajama pants, along with an invitation sealed in an envelope. When he opened it, he saw the reservations for a Carnival cruise this Feb. He was SO excited!!! I was so excited about him opening it that I couldn't even eat dinner...I was like a little kid!

I hope we gave Jeff a great birthday and that I made our anniversary special. I'm not just saying these things about him to sound sappy....he really is an amazing man, father, and husband. I believe that he learned to be the husband and father that he is from watching his own dad. He is the man that he is because of his mother and father. Once again, I want to thank them for the gift that they created for me. I also want to thank my dad again for showing me what I wanted in a husband. We are all so blessed because of Jeff!