The Hambrick Family: ten

ten

We celebrated a month early in Jamaica, but today is officially our 10 year anniversary.

Today there will be no outward celebration as it is just normal life happening.

Inside, I am celebrating and reflecting on the 2nd best day and decision I ever made in my life.

The day I spoke my vows we had so carefully written out:

I choose this day to deny myself for you,
to commit my heart and my eyes to you alone,
to support, encourage, and to love you,
in good times, in bad times, in rich times, in poor times, in sickness and in health.
I will challenge you to be God's best.
I will work to be God's best for you.
I will love you unconditionally.
This is my covenant with you and my God.

For Christmas Jeremiah had our vows printed and professionally framed and it hangs on our fireplace mantel. I love the constant reminder of the words we spoke to each other.

Especially after this past year...

This was the year where I figured out what everyone meant when they told me that "marriage takes work". Up until this year there was no work involved. Or at least any real work. And not to pretend that it was a horrible or terrible year for us...it was just the year where we both realized that to keep our marriage healthy it was going to take a lot of intentionality and a return to sacrificially serving each other. You know, work.

And so, Jeremiah Hambrick, to borrow a line from a favorite song...I don't have a choice, but I still choose you.

10 years, 4 kids, 3 churches, and 4 moves later...the best years of my life have been with you.

Happy Anniversary, I love you.

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p.s.

My top ten reasons why being married to Jeremiah Hambrick is grand:

10) He is his own person. He doesn't follow a trend (skinny jeans, tattoo's, etc...) just for following a trends sake. Ever. I love that about him.

9) He is an amazing cheerleader. He has always been my biggest fan and makes me feel like I can do anything.

8) Whatever he is involved in, is better for it because of his creative contribution.

7) He leads me and our family. Gentle yet strong leadership...and he is worth following because I know who he is following.

6) He is fun. Really fun. Laugh out loud fun. And funny. It was the one quality that first attracted me to him all those years ago. And he hasn't lost it. I still have more fun with him than anyone else.

5) He is best Daddy of the world material. He can stick asparagus up his nose at dinner time and completely wrap his face up with tape to be silly with his kids...but within the same hour he is lovingly shepherding their hearts. He rubs backs and makes up stories and cleans up vomit and disciplines with control and shares the Word through silly made up songs. I could go on and on.

Washing feet during Holy Week.

One of his finer moments.

4) He is aging really well. I tell him all the time that I truly think he is more handsome today than the day I married him. And I'm still jealous of his shapely legs, wasted on a man, I tell ya.

3) He is teachable. I've never met a man more teachable. And I don't mean that he is weak and a pushover. I mean that I have seen over and over and over how he has allowed the Holy Spirit to move in his life. I have seen how he responds when I tell him he has hurt my feelings or did something I didn't like. He doesn't instantly bristle and get defensive. He listens. He examines his heart. He is quick to apologize. I have learned a lot from him through this quality.

2) He treats everyone well. The waitress, the gas station attendant the CEO, the dying Haitian widow. You will never be embarrassed by how he treats someone if you go out with him. He overtips, overpays, and mows the neighbors lawn.

1) This one is going to come across as narcissistic, but oh well: He adores me. I know he adores me. I catch him looking at me sometimes and I can see it in his eyes. I have never once felt jealous of another woman in his life because I know he adores only me. I realize what a gift that is for me, a wife, to say about my husband. It gives me a glimpse of the way God looks at me.