10 years! It's been 10 years!

Today we are celebrating 10 years of marriage.  I am not sure I am up for any eloquent writing this morning.  I have not finished my coffee quite yet.  Instead I will share the words I wrote 2 years ago on our 8th anniversary.  All I can say, is that every year I get to spend with my husband is precious to me.  The last few years my husband has struggled with a lot of health problems, it really brings into light the fact that we can not take each other for granted and unfortunately, we don't know how long we have together.  So make it count.

But I have to share the beautiful surprise I woke up to this morning.  In order to understand the significance of this morning's surprise I have to go back a few years.

About 10 and a half years ago I came home to 60+ roses hanging by the ceiling with a note attached to each one stating a reason why he loved me.  The last rose was a red rose hanging over a card that said he was taking me out on a date.  While we were sitting and eating he gave me another card that said he was going to share with me something I had not seen before and it had musical notes on the front of it.  Next he took me to a friends house and played the piano for me for the first and only time.  From there we went for a walk through Bush Pasture park and ended in the gazebo at the rose garden.  There he handed me another card that said "to see how much I love you, look to the north."  The cardinal directions are in a stone on the floor of the gazebo and also drawn in a picture on the card.  I looked down to see north was pointing behind me, so I turned around.  As I was facing the other direction I heard Jeff move and when I turned back around he was on one knee!  He asked me to be his wife and I gladly accepted. 

I love that man and I love the one that stands before me today even more!

This was the very first note explaining the roses.

I put all the notes and cards in this scrapbook, which is a tons of fun to look through now and then.

This is me, standing amongst the roses the day he proposed.

So here was my special surprise this morning.  As I stepped out of the bedroom this morning I came face to face, with a hanging rose.

I still love you . . .

I kept walking out to the living room and found a full dozen (or maybe only 11, I haven't counted) and another note. 

. . . But now there are many more reasons.  Happy Anniversary Tracy!

He also added a little box with a gift, a new pair of earrings.  Back when we were just married Jeff bought me a pair of diamond earrings.  Then a few years ago when Peter was a little guy he came over to climb up in my lap with a giant monster truck in his hands.  As I grabbed him the monster truck came up to my ear, somehow caught one of my earrings and ripped it out.  I searched forever for that earring.  It has never been found.  Well diamonds are no longer in the budget, our money is now spent in better ways, on our children.  So today he got me a beautiful pair of cubic zirconium earrings and I couldn't be happier.  They sparkle and they are pretty, just like the real thing.

There are certainly a few things that are different about this day compared to 10 years ago.  This time, before I gave Jeff a big hug and kiss I had to make sure to grab the baby monitor and turn it on.  Oh and there was this shirtless 4 year old with a lot to say sitting on the couch.  He was Daddy's "helper" this morning.  So, so helpful.  Jeff made sure to trim the stem nice and short on the rose he hung so that no one could bat at it.  :)  Oh man, I love this life. 

This weekend we are having a barbeque with family and we are going to read our vows to each other once again.  I am so excited! 

My gift to him was far less spectacular.  I wrote him a little something on a "card" of sorts - a decorative S to signify our last name.  What I wrote is a spin off of the cardinal directions symbol that was there the day he proposed and the fact that he had me look to the north.  Since the compass points to the north and back in the day the north star was how people found their way around I combine the two. 

As a compass seeks the North Star
So too will my heart forever seek yours.

You are my north star.

I can't say it's accurate, as the compass actually seeks the north pole (doesn't sound as nice).  But I never said I was a poet.  None the less.  He got the point.  This is always my prayer, that my heart will always seek and be drawn towards my husband.  Love is love, but it's also an action and a choice.  I never want the worries of this world to pull my heart away.