A Gift...

I married him when I was 21 and he was only 19. We grew up in the same town, in the same high school, and our houses were only a few miles apart. The relationship started with a question, not from him nor from me. It was a friend of mine that heard that I didn't have a date to my senior homecoming dance. She knew him, so she asked me if I would like to go with him. I had only met him once before back in 8th grade during a church retreat and it was only his face and name that I remembered. I said "Sure, why not." It was during lunch time when she asked him. He sat at the table right next to me for that year and the past years playing Euchre with his friends. She walked over to him and asked if he would like to go with me. "Sure," he said. We went. He was uncomfortable. I just wanted to dance with all my other guy friends. I was not a very nice date, but he was patient.

We continued to date. It was 2yrs later that we agreed it was time to get married. We were married in December of 2000. Since then, it's been hard trying to understand what each other is feeling. It's been tough leaving my family, especially because the relationship between my mom and I has changed. But who Travis is and how much he loves me, means more to me than all the times where it's been hard.

He does things that are so caring and unselfish: When he stays in bed with me all day long, reads to me, makes me ginger and lemon tea, gets me whatever I need because I'm so sick with the flu. When he stays up past 3am working on the coolest website for me -- remembering which photograph is my favorite. When he leaves me notes on the mirror in the bathroom with soap when I get up at 6:15am for work. When he packs my lunch. When he recognizes that I'm having a bad day, he gives me a hug.

He has shown me so many things and has helped me understand how to love, how to really be there for someone even though there are times when they are not being very loving in return.

He's been one of God's great gifts to me...