Three ripped out pages from a bridal magazine

Three ripped out pages from a Bridal magazine.

That is what I had, and that was all I had.
I tucked them into my 3 ring binder/wedding planner and on those pages were my dream wedding dress, what I wanted for favors (diy tea bags. Because, ya know... I love me some tea. Um. ok.) and the style I wanted my hair done

If you know my wedding day story:
I did not have the dress I wanted. At all.
I hate tea.
And my hair looked horrible.

In the grand scheme of life, it doesn't really matter. Any of that.
It's way more about the actual marriage than the wedding day.
(but seriously. If anyone can find a lazaro wedding dress from 1995 or 1996 that was my dream dress? Even just a picture. For real, you will be my best friend.)

It is nice that I can look back and laugh at the fact that the person videoing the day realized after the wedding was over that he had forgotten to turn the camcorder on.
whoops.
It's helpful that I can laugh about the bad haircut Adam had the night before the wedding, the horrible hairdo I ended up with and the verse about Abraham and imputed something or other that was in huge letters in front of the church because the people in charge forgot to take it down.
I still don't even pull out my wedding pictures, and I have never framed even one of them.
But it's ok.
It was a day that allowed me to marry my best friend, and that's what matters.

So maybe my wedding day wasn't exactly the way I had hoped and dreamed.
My marriage, my family, my life, is better than I had hoped and dreamed.

I wrote more about our love story last year. You can read that here, and then I don't have to bore you with the details again.

I am just so grateful for a godly husband who sticks with this crazy girl.

And today, as we were talking about the last 15 years, we were just amazed at everything God has done. Everything God has blessed us with, and the way He brings people together.

We are so, so different. But so, so perfect together.

When I think back to those three ripped out pages from a bridal magazine, I realize the lack of importance they really hold.

What holds my marriage together has nothing to do with my actual wedding day.

What holds my marriage together is the actions of love that have been shown over the last 15 years.

How we have gotten through financial struggles, sleepless nights, sick kids, and confusing times.

The way we fight through those times when our feelings try to rip us apart.

The way we always have an understanding that only pride comes contention...even when we hate to admit it.

The way we can laugh together, dream together and seriously, actually live together without going crazy! 

The way he overlooks so many of my issues and I overlook his.

The relationship that we both have with God is what has held this marriage together, and the prayers of both of our parents...I have no doubt of that at all.

It's not always easy, and it's not always blog worthy.

But it is always worth it.

So thankful today for the last 15 years of marriage, and excited to see what the next 15 will bring!