a year ago...

a year ago this week i was preparing for one of the most important days of my life. finishing last minute details, purchasing and putting together gifts for my girls who would stand beside me, packing for an absolutely amazing honeymoon, and most importantly, preparing to marry my best friend.

i honestly can't believe that it's been a year {well, almost a year...i won't be near a computer to blog on the actual day ;}. i had a lot of friends mention to me that they thought the first year of marriage is the hardest but for me, it's been the best year of my life. sure, there were moments that wouldn't rank in my top ten list of favorite moments but overall, it's been incredible. there is nothing in the world better than walking through life with your best friend and i have been amazingly blessed with such an incredible husband.

and i'm not the only one who thinks so...a couple fridays ago i had my niece in the car with me and we were headed to my house for a sleepover and then our annual "aunt amy and anna day" {for the last 4 or 5 years we would make a day of it and go to lunch, go shopping, visit santa, etc. as a prolonged birthday celebration for her}. somehow our conversation turned to uncle joel and from the backseat she said, "aunt amy, i hope i get to marry someone like uncle joel someday." yeah, pretty sure my eyes immediately filled with tears. i told i her i hoped so, too....that uncle joel was a great man and that the important thing for her to remember was to wait for the person God has for her...because His plans are always the best. it blesses my heart to know and see how much my nephews and niece love their uncle joel...they want to spend time with him....they want to know where he is if i show up and he's not with me but more than that, i've been able to see just how good and gracious the Lord has been in blessing me with such an incredible husband. he not only loves me {which, i can testify is not always an easy task ;} but he loves my family and loves being with them and i can say without a doubt, they love and adore him, too.

it's been a year with lots of changes and some challenges but it's been an amazing first year of marriage and i can't wait to see what this coming year will bring.