We are supposed to be writing our own vows. We have decided that if we aren't finished by the end of Friday night, we are going with traditional vows. I had found a worksheet that suggested the following:
On the blank piece of paper you brought with you, write a letter to your fiancé using the following instructions:
- Begin with a salutation that is very heartfelt; For example, "My Dearest...", or something to that effect.
- In the first paragraph, tell him/her how much s/he means to you and your life.
- Begin the next paragraph with the words, "It seems like only yesterday that..." Run with it.
- In the next paragraph tell him/her how you felt when you realized you were in love with them.
- In this paragraph, tell him or her what marriage means to you. What aspects of being married are you looking forward to? What are some of your fears? How are you going to address these fears if and when they come about?
- Finally, close your letter with words of love and thanksgiving for your significant other.
Martin, my love,
You are all that I’ve hoped for; all that I’ve imagined. At one point I told my girlfriends I would be grateful for a man who didn’t have to be on time all the time but at least knew it was rude to be late. I got that and so very much more when we met and fell in love.
I feel so blessed to have your support in all that I do – you are passionate about many of the things I am passionate about, you are smart, capable and responsible. You laugh with me, hold my hand and hug me tight when I need the extra support. You treat me like a princess in so many ways: always showing me respect, planning fun things for us to do, bringing me flowers, cooking when I am tired, showing up to help with and support the kids at their activities, opening my door, and thanking me for my contributions to our family, just to name a few. I watch you with the kids and am so grateful for all of us to have the consistency, stability, and encouragement that you show and teach by example. I see you patiently working with
I first really thought we might be a perfect match when you went to
It seems like only yesterday you let it slip at Macaroni Grill that you loved me and then followed up on the phone to tell me in earnest exactly how you felt about me as you prepared for your small group that week. I don’t know the exact date, but it was after the Bandera trail run on 1/13/07. We had so much fun that day and I am excited to cheer you on again this coming year.
Of course it was exciting to realize that we were falling in love and that we were both feeling the same way about one another. More exciting to realize how different you are than anyone I had dated before. The biggest thing that struck me was your selflessness – in the service work that you do, in the way you treat other people, in picking up a piece of trash from the ground instead of just walking by. I was blown away at your New Years’ party by the fact that you had friends (lots of them!) who stayed past 2AM and helped with every aspect of cleaning up. I remember wanting to grab you and kiss you all night. When we’d first kissed earlier that day, I was so nervous and excited I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest.
I never thought I would marry again after Rob – that if I failed with my children’s Dad I would have the kids and a full life and that would be enough. Now I know how wrong I was, but before I met you I didn’t know what I was missing! In some ways I can’t believe I’m excited to be marrying again. I am also scared - of failing you, myself, the kids, and now of failing God. I am scared of the times that I know will come when we are bored with our lives, disappointed with one another, overloaded and distracted with work and other commitments, or simply moving in different directions. I am comforted by the fact that we are both very persistent and I don’t think either of us is going to give up on something this important. It would worry me that we would ‘stick it out’ even if we weren’t happy, but I truly believe that we are creative enough and stubborn enough not to let that happen. I believe we will find a way through those times and find a way to fall in love with each other again and again. If I didn’t really believe that I wouldn’t be willing to say ‘I do’ one last time. Even though I wasn’t particularly religious when I married the first time, it was an issue for me that I broke the vows I made and I didn’t think I would be willing to say traditional Christian vows again that included a promise before God to stay together forever.
When we hit bumps in our marriage, I promise to draw on my creativity to find new ways for us to connect. I will do everything I can to let go of grudges, not keep score, appreciate the things you do, find ways to show you respect even when it’s not easy, be aware of ways in which I can show subtle disrespect and choose not to do that to you and to us. I want to always remember the things that I already am grateful to you for and to continue to recognize, appreciate, and cherish the many ways in which you make my life richer and more fun, full, and happy than it could ever be without you.
I love you – I am in love with you and I choose to love you forever and make a life with you. I want to laugh with you, grow old together holding hands, and have a family with you full of life, love and respect for one another. I want to be your wife forever!
Love,
-me
On another note, we celebrated Halloween tonight and the kids went trick or treating. It was fun!
Hannah Montana and Captain Jack Sparrow
And another pose
Sydney hoarding candy
Crazy Pirate
Sydney hoarding candy
Crazy Pirate
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