"Three Years and Counting"

Tomorrow (August 9th) will be the third anniversary for Natalie and I. Can you believe it? Wait, don't answer that. I'm afraid of what some of your responses would be!

In many ways, it seems like our wedding day was yesterday. I can vividly remember Jason Fox (our close friend who married us) and me nervously waiting in the back room of Stanford Baptist Church to get the wedding started and finished quickly. It was a toss-up as to who was more nervous (it was Jason's first wedding, mine too now that I mention it!). We stared out the window into the parking lot watching the throngs of people we did not know file into the church, getting more nervous with each passing moment. If those windows hadn't been so strongly reinforced, we both may have made a break for it. Jason's father-in-law found us and offered us both a cigarette- Marlboro Reds. I will never forget that- if there was ever a time the two of us wanted to smoke (which I never have) it was then! All the nervousness completely dissipated, however, the moment Natalie and I locked eyes as she was walked down the aisle by her father. She looked so beautiful and heavenly! Kevin just looked angry! Of course, this was the same man who, when I first met him, ask me if I had ever had my fingers broken by anyone. Then, I looked at Sylvia in the second row and she looked even angrier!

Not to say the past three years have been easy. I have switched jobs several times and undergone a major, life-changing surgery. On top of that, it is never easy being a coaches' wife but Natalie handles it wonderfully. We have lived in three different states and one foreign country. Natalie finished college with a teaching degree and then decided she did not want to teach. Finally, Natalie not only decided to become a doctor, but decided upon a medical school 4000 miles away from home! Many couples do not go through so many upheavels in their entire marriage, much less the first three years together.

Through all the change and turmoil, I have never questioned three things: 1) my love for Natalie- I am continually astonished that I actually convinced her to marry me (a great job of salesmanship), 2) Natalie's love for me- her devotion only gets stronger with hardships and struggles, 3) God's presence in our lives- we are certainly being watched over!

One last thing I know, we have the cutest dog waiting for us in Louisville!

Natalie is taking me out to dinner tomorrow night. I will take some pictures and post them on here for you to see.

JT