We had originally met through mutual friends. I think even early on in our relationship we
knew we were meant for each other. I
remember going to church when I was still single and seeing other young
families there, really hoping some day that would be me, having someone to call
my husband and raising kids of our own.
I fervently prayed that God would send me the right man to marry, and
that He did. I couldn't have asked for a
better soulmate or a better family to marry into and become a part of; Ian's
family accepted me as a part of them from the very beginning. It is truly a blessing to be living next door
to my in-laws.
Now that the honeymoon phase of being newlyweds has long
since passed, we have reached the 5-year mark.
Like all married couples at one point or another, we have experienced
our own ups and downs, and we are beginning to really find out what the married
life is all about.
A lot has changed in the past 5 years. We moved to a new house, became landlords of
our old house, both experienced changes in our career paths, and in true Ian fashion,
he acquired a Harley and has gone through 6 different vehicles in total since I
have known him, including the ones we have now.
He just can't seem to pass up a deal on a re-builder. The most life-changing event, the addition of
Elijah, has been our greatest blessing.
In honor of our 5-year anniversary, I complied a list of the
top five things I love most about Ian:
5. His witty sense of
humor. Ian has a very similar sense of
humor as his brother. They both have a
way of fitting in funny, subtle, simple statements quite quickly into
conversations that make me laugh quite often.
4. Our well-balanced,
complementary parenting style. To be
honest, we really have opposite parenting styles that reflect our personalities,
but I also think it helps us balance each other out. While I would consider myself to be more on
the strict and serious side, Ian is much more laid-back, easygoing, and playful
as a parent.
3. His unconditional
love, patience, and tolerance of my many moods and also going along with some
of my crazy ideas (for example, filling up Eli's pool with 5-gallon buckets of
water from inside the house so it would be warm and not ice cold from the hose
outside). He also has a high tolerance
to my lack of common sense.
2. His work
ethic. During the busy season, Ian will
put in 80 plus hours during one week of work.
He also helps his dad throughout the year on the farm.
1. His dedication to
family and others and his kindheartedness.
Ian is always willing to go out of his way to help others. I even remember a time when he left work to
come home and help me reinstall a car seat because I could not figure it out
myself. Without me even asking, he also
came home early one day during a snowstorm to take me to an appointment in
town, just a few minutes away.
My mind is always thinking about something, most of the time
needless worries, other times trivial things, such as this: Over the years, I have noticed quirky things
Ian and I have in common. (Maybe they
are signs we really are meant to be?)
We have similar family backgrounds, being raised with the
same types of values. We both grew up on
a farm along with being raised with traditions of the Catholic faith. We have 2 siblings each, while Ian is the
youngest and I am the oldest. We each
have a sibling named Jamie. I grew up in
a white house with black shutters, and when I first met Ian, he lived in a
white house with black shutters. I
attended Maquoketa Valley High School
while Ian went to Maquoketa
High School. Ian's favorite number has always been 21, and
my birthday is on the 21st. Speaking of
birthdays, we were born almost exactly a month apart in the same year - Ian on
September 25 and my birthday landing on October 21. Our parents were married in different years
but celebrate their anniversaries exactly a month apart - April 25 and May
25.
The past 5 years have really gone by fast, and we have
learned more about each other in the process.
Becoming parents really changes the dynamics of a married couple's
relationship. Parenthood has been a gift
in itself, and I think it has helped us grow as a couple and become better
people in the process.
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