Tuesday, August 12, 2014

{ 16 Years and still going strong }

17 years ago, I met the love of my life.  It was a crazy meeting, it was completely unexpected and definitely not what I would have considered a normal encounter.

If you want to know our story, I have written a post or two about it, you can read it here or here.


Wedding day - August 12, 1998

Look at that? How young we were, how little did we know about life, and what huge changes we would go through.

Looking back, I obviously had no idea what my life was going to be like, I was a girl who had been raised in South Africa, a very different upbringing and culture to the United States. Two people from completely different worlds, really, but pulled together by God. That I have no doubt about, this was God's doing and I saw it every day in the smallest of things and the biggest of obstacles we encountered.

He has always been there, through the good and the bad. He IS the glue that holds our marriage together because without Him, I can guarantee you that we wouldn't be here celebrating 16 years of marriage.



I can't imagine my life without Curt, and yes there are times I want to hurt him LOL  But, I truly can't even imagine going through my every day life without him by my side.

He is my rock, he is my hero, he is everything I have ever wanted in a husband and a father to my children.  He makes me laugh, he makes me cry, he teaches me something new every single day, and he pushes me to learn and never stop learning.  He is incredibly smart, hard working, a man of God.


Thank you Curt, for being my husband, my best friend, my soulmate.  I love you more than words could ever say and I feel extremely blessed to be called your wife.

Here's to another 16 years, at the very least!!!


Edit:   We never really give each other anything on our Anniversary, we believe in celebrating our life together every day and not just waiting for a specific moment to do so.

This morning though, my husband surprised me with this.  He knows me so well, and the fact that he does is what makes me love him even more. 


22 comments:

Jen said...

Happy Anniversary!! And honestly you both look like you did 16 years ago.

Have a blessed day!

Liz said...

Happy Anniversary! I love that you guys look even more in love now than you did back then. Truly an inspiration!

Hope you two have a wonderful day!

Rachel said...

I hope you have an amazing anniversary and many more to come!!

Mari said...

Happy Anniversary, you two!

Kar said...

A very Happy Anniversary to you both! Here's to many more years together! :)

Renee said...

Happy Anniversary!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Congratulations on your 16th anniversary! May your love continue to grow and may you have many more years together.

Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

P.S. I just read your post on how you and Curt met, and wow, how wonderful that God brought you together and Curt went from being a pagan to being a believer in Jesus. That is FANTASTIC!!!

Anna said...

congratulations!

Susanne said...

Happy Anniversary! Love that wedding photo!

Rachel said...

That's awesome. Happy anniversary!

Carol said...

Happy anniversary!

Unknown said...

Happy anniversary! May God bless you all!
Beijinhos.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Happy Anniversary!

Elizabeth said...

Happy 16th Anniversary! I'll be celebrating my 21st just 2 days later on August 14! May we all enjoy many more years of happiness!

P.S. I got married in Tucson AZ and it was an outdoor wedding and 100 degrees, haha!!

Judy said...

Awe, Happy Anniversary to you two!

Mary said...

Oh my goodness, Sandra! First congratulations on your & Curt's anniversary. I read the first link on how you met.. I alternately smiled, giggled, got a bit teary-eyed a time or two. It brought back memories for me, on how my Steve and I met, but also how my Annie, like Jasmine, wanted to be a paleontologist. That passed after she was 14.. I still have boxes with fossils she bought & found on fossil hunts, a huge plaster cast of a dinosaur print she made at Dinosaur State Park in Connecticut, her books and more. Your meeting, and that miraculous phone call connection during that power outage. :) You two were meant to be.

My Steve and I met when I moved into an apartment in a house his father owned, was my landlord. I first saw Steve mowing the lawn, in shorts and a tank top. He had dark short hair, that curled across his forehead like Clark Kent/Superman. I had broken up with my high school sweetheart the year before, a bad breakup and so I'd thrown myself into working, going to school and volunteering at the local hospital. I had absolutely no trust in relationships, and wasn't looking for one.

I remember looking at him, and dismissing him as what my friends called a disco Johnny, like Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. A month later he was around and shocked me by cornering me very abruptly when I had gotten home and asked me out. I gave him the brush off. For a few weeks he kept trying, and I guess he wore me down and said yes... not expecting much. To cut a long story short, we clicked. He was my everything, a best friend and the love of my life and I'm so grateful God sent him to me, we were a month shy of our 25th wedding anniversary when he passed away.

Tasha said...

Happy Anniversary!!

Unknown said...

How wonderful! Happy Anniversary! What a perfect gift, right? Something that makes your heart happy ;)

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

Happy anniversary to an adorable couple!

~Carla~ said...

Happy Anniversary, Sandra!! :) We just celebrated our 20th! We are blessed!

Amy at love made my home said...

Happy Anniversary to you both, I hope that you have many more happy years together!! More than just another 16!! xx