Today Merlyn and I celebrate our 9th anniversary!  Honestly I can’t believe I’m really old enough to be married that long, but I’m thankful that he has been willing to put up with me for all these years.

Merlyn lets me shine… and he’s completely comfortable with that.  He lets me follow my dreams.  He watches me push myself to the limit, start to crack, and then he consistently is there to cushion my fall, give me a pep talk (oftentimes a good wake up call) and helps me refocus and reset.  He’s a lot more patient with me than he probably should be.

Merlyn is my balance, my strength and my comic relief.  He doesn’t take himself too seriously (like I do), he doesn’t stress about all the little details (like I do) and he knows how to enjoy life (which I have trouble doing).

I’m so thankful for the moments that we have shared in these first nine years and anxious to see what God has in store for us for many more!

Today is my sister Jes’ birthday so I thought I would take the chance to tell you more about her and share some pics.  Hilda, as I affectionately call her, has always been the bright, cheery, outgoing one of the two of us.  She loves people and is a loyal friend.  She encourages me more than she probably knows and I’m so thankful for the friendship that we have.  

   Always having fun & enjoying life!

  My maid of honor on my big day

  Cooking Christmas dinner together – one of our favorite things to do together.  Little known fact… Jes has watched cooking shows and infomercials for cooking items ever since she was a kid. 

Love yah, sis!  Have a wonderful birthday!