It's been a year now...

On a very hot August 20, 2011, I married an amazingly beautiful woman.  Krystal walked down a little gravel path to meet me in a lovely park in Springfield, Missouri.  The smile on her face was radiant and the lump in my throat was the size of a football.

Krystal and I had dated for four years prior to getting married.  We'd been through some wonderful times and some very difficult ones.  Most importantly, though, we had taken the time to get to know one another as dearest friends.  Krystal and I have personalities that compliment one another flawlessly.

It's hard for me to put into words the feeling I experienced as she appeared that day.  Her beautiful white dress, her amazing eyes, her flawless complexion... these things were obvious to everyone.  However, something deeper was striking me.  This wonderful young woman who has such a wonderful mind and heart had chosen to spend the rest of her life with me.  Me!  There are no words for that realization.  It was overwhelming.

We were gathered with a very small group of people who are very dear to us:  Pastor Tom Matrone of Central Assembly of God; Mike and Debbie Mills, some very dear friends; Marissa Mills; my mother and her fiance, Lowell Hicks; Krystal's son, Tiegen; and our photographer, Heather Fison.  It was a very simple and intimate wedding.  Just the way it was meant to be.

 Right there in the blazing August heat, we shared our vows with one another.  We laughed and celebrated our love for each other.  The setting was perfect.  Through all the planning and stress of outside pressures, we had made it to our big day.  Through the stormy turmoil of planning a large wedding, scrapping those plans and choosing to just elope, to changing the plans again to include these dear ones, we'd learned a lot about ourselves, each other, and our loved ones.  We came to the agreement that our wedding was a day for us.

Things could have gone much more smoothly in the lead-up to the big day, but in the end, we were consumed with happiness.  I'd married the woman of my dreams.  Of all the men she could have chosen, this amazingly pure, loving, intelligent, and beautiful woman had chosen me.  How could I not glow with happiness?

I remember how before anyone knew that we'd started dating, people kept asking me why there seemed to be a sudden spring in my step.  I'd chuckle and shrug my shoulders.  Who knew someone could bring such happiness to my life?

And now we face a future together.  We don't know what the future holds, but we know we'll be holding each other.  Every day I thank God for bringing Krystal into my life.  Every day I marvel at how much of a blessing she is to me.  Every day I am amazed that she chose me.

I love you, Krystal.  I always will.  The grace and beauty that everyone can see on the outside are just a hint of the amazing woman I've come to know beneath the surface.

I've always heard that every little girl grows up to be a woman, but it takes effort, class, and strength to be a lady.  Well, folks, I married a true lady.

Happy first anniversary, love.