The past few months have been a time of reflection for me. It all started when I had my 36th birthday in July. For some reason, it seemed like a big deal to be 36. I'm not sure if it is because now I am closer to 40 than 30 or what, but it really caused me to reflect on where I am in my life and where I want to go from here. I think another reason is that for the first time in almost 10 years, I don't have a baby. Of course, as I tell my kids, they will all always be my "baby". Elizabeth is potty trained, drinks from a big girl cup, and is very self sufficient (too much, really). So, technically, she is not a baby anymore. You can ask her, she will tell you herself! Also, I feel like I now have enough experience in my marriage, raising children, and my career that I am no longer a "rookie". I am all about embracing the wisdom that my expanse of gray hair obviously indicates that I have. The other thing is that Tremaine and I are about to celebrate 14 years of marriage on Tuesday. I really find that hard to believe! It has gone by so fast. I look back at our wedding pictures, and we are starting to look a lot older than the people in those pictures! We obviosuly weren't very wise, because we didn't have gray hair. I was still in college, as an undergraduate! What were my parents thinking letting me get married so young ;) It probably had a lot to do with the person who I was marrying. They put Tremaine through the fire when he came to ask for my hand in marriage. Thankfully, I did not know about it, or I would have been a nervous wreck. I pretend to be angry at them because they were not nearly as tough on Scott, my sister, Jamie's husband, and by the time they got to Drew, my sister, Courtney's husband, they practically begged him to marry her! Not really, but they all have to admit that Tremaine had it the hardest. My dad jokes that he expected Tremaine to pull out his bank statement as they talked. Now that I have children, I totally understand.
Fast forward 14 years, three kids, and several jobs later, and I love my sweet husband so much more than I could have ever imagined I would on the day that I married him. God truly picked him for me. He is not perfect, but he is perfect for me. Tremaine is first and foremost, the spiritual leader of our family. Even though I probably wasn't very wise at 22 when I got married, I prayed that God would give me a husband who would be the spiritual leader of our home. Tremaine has fulfilled this duty better than I could have ever imagined. I have never heard our children ask, "Are we going to church today?" on Sunday. It is understood that we are unless someone is sick, and if so, that person and a parent stays home, everyone else goes. He leads in so many other ways, too, helping the kids with devotions or saying prayers at night. He is a wonderful father. Whether it is playing Wii games, reading, or letting Elizabeth "fix" his hair (he gets bonus points for this one:), he always enjoys spending time with the kids. He serves on committees at church that benefit the children, as well as coaches their t-ball and basketball teams. I often wonder where he gets the energy after working a 40 plus hour week. He always puts our needs before his own, and does everything that is in our best interest.
There are so many more wonderful things that I could say, but most importantly, I am thankful to God for blessing me with my wonderful husband, my sweet children, a job that allows me to keep my skills sharp, continue with my career, and also be very flexible and available when my children need me, health, and happiness.
So, I will continue to reflect, with thankfulness, and hope that the next 36 years of my life will be as good as the first!
