Thanks For The Memories

Daddy and I have been married nearly 28 years and dated four years before that.We have made a lot of good memories in that period of time. Some were grand and glorious and others were subtle and precious. We decided to take a walk down memory lane at some of our greatest marriage moments. You may find some bizarre, but when we talked about this and one of us would come up with a memory, the other was nodding and smiling in agreement. Now honestly, there are so many good memories we cannot possibly list them all here, but we wanted to share a few so you can see the joy we have in all these years together.

Our egg fight - It started off with Daddy gloating about the fact that I made too many dyed hard-boiled eggs at Easter, and had so many left over weeks after. So I threw one at him. Then another and another in rapid succession. He caught every single one, but squished a bunch in the process. We laughed hysterically. It was excellent use of extra eggs ... and we got a second giggle when we found egg shells behind our couch when we moved from that apartment.

Watching Daddy play sports - I do not like to watch sports. Bores me to tears. But I love watching your Daddy play them. He is so sexy when those muscles are stretching and flexing. And the fact that he is so good at every sport he plays made it super fun for me. I'll never forget the young boys watching Daddy's work softball league and commenting "Check out the guy in the blue t-shirt. He's the best." That guy was my shortstop husband. That's right, my man.

Good meals and bad meals - I am a horrible cook. So your Daddy has lived through hockey puck pot roast and a severely under-cooked (okay, raw) Thanksgiving turkey. But likewise he's had some amazing fig pancakes, monster cookies, crepes, homemade pizza and meatloaf (okay, that last one was his Dad's recipe, but I did cook it). We have made great memories in those meals. And especially have enjoyed our candlelight dinners.

Packer cruise to the Caribbean - A dream vacation we couldn't afford that by God's grace and Daddy's sweet opportunity to write a chapter for a book on Super Bowl-winning Packer Coach Mike Holmgren gave us some bonus funds to spurge with. We had the most fun time, saw amazing sights, met fabulous people and experienced new things like parasailing which we've not done since. It was a beautiful week of our life together.

Snowball fight - Can't even remember what the argument was about. We were living in Tennessee and it snowed. We went out for a walk to talk out the disagreement and pretty soon were whipping snowballs at each other. We ended up laughing and playing in the snow.

Sugar Smacks cereal and champagne - our first breakfast together as husband and wife on our honeymoon. We got to the Garden City Beach condo and didn't have any food except that. So that was breakfast. We relived that memory when we renewed our vows on our 15th anniversary. Which leads to ...

Our 15th Anniversary Vow Renewal - Your Daddy is the king of surprises and this was a doozy. Bringing my best buddy into town to serve as my matron-of-honor, having a friend make me a gown, others made a cake, others decorated a hotel room for the night, others fixed a ring for me to wear and then to have my daughter and son walk down the aisle as we celebrated ... sigh. It was a magical day.

Neil Diamond concert - Another of your Daddy's surprises. I'm a Neil Diamond groupie. He took care of getting a babysitter and drove me to Milwaukee. On our way he told me we were going to see Neil. Awesome concert, but even better because it was a surprise by my beloved.

Great Sex - don't cringe. We have been so blessed, truly. Not going to go all triple x on you here, but just suffice it to say we have sure had fun.

Mission trip to Mexico - one of the best experiences of our lives was helping to build that concrete home in Piedra's Negras with Constructores Para Cristo. Eye-opening, gut-wrenching and heart warming. I still wear my Mexico mission boots and have a brick piece from the work site that always brings warm fuzzies.

Tatiana - Christmas Day when your Daddy surprised me with our Compassion International Child. One of the best presents he's ever given me.

Getaways - to different beaches, to Door County, to state parks, to Mackinac Island, to even camping on Assateague Island beach covered in horse manure rolling in the waves just to see wild horses. We have so enjoyed exploring new places together.

Northeast America trip - this vacation with you kids was actually a business trip for Daddy that we parlayed into a vacation-of-a-lifetime seeing Washington D.C, Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Niagara Falls, the Baseball Hall of Fame and Cedar Point. It was a whirlwind and perfect at the same time. We will never forget it.

Penthouse at Super Bowl XXIX in Miami - We got to our hotel room and it smelled like vomit. I told your Daddy I was going to the front desk to ask for another room. Your Daddy doesn't like change, so he was upset that I was going down to complain. Next thing you know we're in the penthouse, the entire top floor surrounded in glass with a 360° view of Miami. I could see the fireworks from the Super Bowl from the hotel. It's worth asking for quality customer service.

Pregnancies of both children - we will never forget how we learned of both pregnancies, hearing their heartbeats for the first time, the deliveries of both children and holding those sweet newborns. Truly two of the greatest moments of our lives. And every subsequent memory with our children ... including their engagements!

Getting our first ...  - washer and dryer: that may sound petty, but after years of taking clothes to the laundromat, we so appreciated the convenience of our very first set. We would get done with one load and run around the apartment looking for anything dirty just to wash it; air-conditioned car: which we got when I was pregnant with Ayla. To have that in Tennessee was a jewel. Loved that little white Dodge Aries; house: we made a list of everything we wanted in our first home and found it in Antioch, TN. We lived in that home less than a year before moving to Wisconsin, but made such sweet memories in that short period of time there.

Handprints on the Z Shack - when you live far from family, having something of them permanently with you is precious. Those handprints have brought us so much joy. And this is our second handprint wall - the first was in Georgia.

Firepit parties - Getting that fire ring for our 22nd anniversary is one of the best things we've ever done. The fires alone take me back to my childhood camping days, but our Christmas Caroling Campfires have been such a hoot.

Walks together - Sunday walks to Overlook park, moonlit walks, Reid golf course, snow walks, creek walks, walks for ice cream. Each one is precious, especially when we are holding hands.

Couple other Daddy surprises - 49th birthday surprise when you kids came to Seaside beach which shocked me to tears and the 72-hour Valentine Daddy planned for me in Green Bay. He had every moment planned with flowers, dinner, etc. He is amazing at surprises. Every time I think, "He will have trouble topping this," he goes ahead and does it.

Well, we could go on and on, but you get the picture. We sure have had fun. When you make memories that touch you in a special way, you may want to find some way (scrapbook, journal) to capture those moments. Gosh, this has been a blessed 28 years. What new memories will we make next? What new memories will you make? Sure going to be fun finding out!

Discussion: What are some of your favorite memories together thus far? What are some things you would like to do together?

Prayer: Father, we thank you for the opportunities we've had to make such precious memories. We are so grateful for those time. We love you so much! And we pray more lovely memories are ahead. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

In God's Image

When your Daddy helped write a book on former Packers Coach Mike Holmgren titled "Heir To A Legacy," he was given an opportunity to have a book signing in Green Bay. People would purchase the book then bring it to him to autograph. Your Daddy wanted to follow in the footsteps of the late defensive end, Hall of Famer Reggie White, and autograph with a Bible verse. I was pretty sure he would put his favorite, which at the time was Psalm 118:24: "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." But instead he did something pretty sneaky. He did Proverbs 5:19. His comment was, "I would just love to see people's faces when they read it."

The verse says: "A loving doe, a graceful dear, delight in your wife's breasts always; may you ever be intoxicated with her love." Brad said he wanted the men who got this football book signed by him to be reminded to love their wives. We chuckle at his signing, but I think if he had the opportunity to do it again, he would sign books the same way.

On a recent episode of Project Runway All Stars, a contestant was commenting on another designer's unconventional dress made of yellow construction caution tape, saying that she hoped it wouldn't fall apart on the runway.  "A naked woman is never a good look," she said, to which your Daddy promptly responded, "That last comment is wrong" and then he giggled and added, "You always look good that way."

I have never had any doubt about how your father felt about me. He has made sure to adhere to Proverbs 5:19 thoroughly and always makes me feel like I'm beautiful. This morning when I commented that I didn't think I would be running into any humans during the day and could probably go without make up, he said, "A No Make-Up Thursday! Do it! You were made in God's image." He is precious like that.

Now some women might take offense at your Daddy's overt comments on my physical appearance, but honestly, it makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. And in a culture that does all it can to get you to compare yourself to the airbrushed, size 0 supermodels of the world, those comments are encouraging and edifying. And if he thinks I'm beautiful, that's enough for me.

When I was a little girl, my Dad told me all the time that I was beautiful. When I looked in the mirror, I saw an awkward, nerdy adolescent (and I've seen the pictures, so there's proof I truly was). But thankfully, I had a Daddy who made sure I knew what he saw was beautiful. And my precious husband has done likewise. I have been blessed to have had the two most important men in my life repeatedly tell me something that the Father feels about each and every one of us. We are beautiful. He delights in us.

You both are fortunate in that the Lord has made you physically gorgeous, so complimenting each other on that should flow pretty naturally and often, we would imagine. But what is more precious, is that you are both just as beautiful inside. I'm not talking about your bones or organs, but the beauty my father saw in me. Sweetness, love, caring, joy, a passion for Christ ... those are beautiful attributes. You have a glow that we hope never fades. And we pray you continually will compliment and edify one another throughout your relationship.

As for Proverbs 5:19 and the rest ... save it for the honeymoon. :)

Discussion: What are beautiful attributes to you? Tell what you find beautiful in each other. Do you make sure that your betrothed feels beautiful, even when they may not feel it?

Prayer: Lord you have made us in your image. And You are so amazing, that we can only hope to live up to that comparison, so that people see You in us. Father, help us to remember to compliment, encourage, uplift and edify one another. In Jesus name, Amen.