One of the reasons I wanted to start this blog was to share in the hard times, the good times, the fun times, and simply just the joys of raising Jackson, who we just happen to be raising in an open adoption. But there would not be the three of us, without the two of us. So I would like to take a little time to brag about my husband. Also, if this post sounds different than my previous posts or has any spelling and/or grammatical errors, it is because my editor (my husband) did not read or correct this one for me. I did it behind his back!!!

In fact, 17 years ago today I said I would exclusively date JJ. What the heck did I know about dating at the young age of 15? Who knows.  If you were to ask my mom she would tell you the moment she met JJ she knew I was going to marry him. And if I am honest with all of you I didn’t know I was going to marry him even after I said yes when he proposed. Marriage doesn’t exactly have a good reputation or long standing in my family. In fact, I was frightened to get married. That once I got married it would fall apart and I would lose JJ forever. But I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

In fact, I was talking to my intern the other day (who is done for the summer, ugh, bummer!) about my college and career path. As I was telling her that I went to University of Wisconsin-Baraboo, because JJ did. I worked at the bank, because JJ did, etc. I realized I have followed in his footsteps ever since I was a teenager. And I am ok with that. Not because I think my career, my passions or dreams are any less greater than JJ’s but simply because I would follow him anywhere he led me.  Jesus talks about how a man should love his wife as Christ loves the church. I have never in my life felt any less love from JJ, in fact, I have probably felt more love from him with each passing year. And that is why I would follow him, because he first loved me. I would follow him until the ends of the earth if I had to, simply just to be with him.

We took an uphill/downhill course to get where we are today. In those 17 years we have graduated high school, went to college (one of us three times!), got married, struggled with infertility, bought our first house, sold our first house, moved away from home, lost our first dog, lost a dear friend, switched careers (one of us three times!), got baptized together, found a new church home, left that same church, found another church,  bought and sold another house, had our first baby, grew closer together, grew closer to God, grew as a family and through it all we held on to each other.

I simply cannot imagine raising our son or being married to anyone else. As clique as it sounds, I love him because he completes me. We are so incredibly different, it is sort of funny. He is usually the sound reasoner behind all of my crazy ideas. He is patient, very patient, with me and Jackson. He is quiet to most- but not to me which makes me feel special. He makes me laugh. Because he is so quiet most think he is not very funny. But to me he is incredibly funny, like make me laugh so hard I cry funny. He has an incredible work ethic, which has been proven to come in the way of his family time here and again but he corrects it when it gets out of hand. He has a love for the Lord, which I admire most about him. He strives every day to be like his father, a legacy to a lot of people. He fights for what he believes in. He is passionate about our finances, which of course I love (he is also starting a blog about this!!!). He cares about his students but not only his students but students all over the state/country. He is smart, really smart. In fact I have told him last year, and didn’t mean it offensively, I didn’t know you were that smart!! He provides for Jackson in every aspect of life, financially, emotionally, etc. I simply love him.

I have struggled with many things in my life but loving JJ has never been one of them.