5 Years

5 years ago we drove off from our wedding reception to start life together as The Daniels.

Looking back, I think in some ways life looks a lot like we thought it would 5 years ago, but in others it looks very different.  

In the last 5 years we set up our first apartment together, bought our first house, and changed jobs 5 times between the 2 of us.  We've traveled to 10 states together along with a cruise to the Bahamas and a honeymoon in Jamaica.  We welcomed our niece Piper and said goodbye to my Grandpa.  We've been on a lot of dates-- planned ones for a year of dates or Woodcreek Save the Date and unplanned and spontaneous ones.  We've gotten to volunteer with the International Student Home Groups and Teaching ESL together.  We were licensed as Foster Parents.  We started a new small group with some friends from the Young Adults group and later searched for and found a new church home together.  And of course we welcomed Cooper into our family.  

We've learned a lot about ourselves and each other over the last 5 years.  We've grown and changed in ways we never would have anticipated.  We've worked hard to stay connected to each other and we've marveled at how God has worked in our marriage, our family, and our lives.  5 years ago I knew I was marrying a great guy, but I had no idea all of the ways that would play out in our marriage and how affirming it would be to see how God answered so many prayers of mine in David (and hopefully a few of David's prayers in me).  

Life with this guy is so much better than I could have imagined.  I'm thankful for who he is and how he loves me.  I'm thankful for our 5 years together and looking forward to many many more.