Thanks to some good advice from our family, we thoughtfully planned a wedding that was more about celebrating with the people we love and less about putting on a good show. Our day was filled with personal touches like a morning ceremony (Shawn is and forever will be a morning person) and a taco lunch. Our gorgeous flowers were every shade of purple and my family arranged each stem and bud into the beautiful bouquets and buttoners that were proudly displayed around the chapel. We searched the Twin Cities for the best cookies we could cater in for our dessert and we absolutely found them. Every part of the day felt personal, meaningful and deeply significant. But my absolute favorite part of it all was how affirming it all felt.
My family loves Shawn for exactly who he is and his family loves me for exactly who I am. It's in the center of that beautiful acceptance that people came together and celebrated our union. I was so encouraged by how genuinely excited our families were for us to marry one another. The people who know us the best and love us the most were thrilled that we were marrying each other. I didn't go into the day expecting or awaiting anyone else's approval but when it was there, it was an unmistakable gift. I felt affirmed not only as a bride but as a daughter and a sister and a friend.
In a lot of ways I feel like my life instantly changed for the better when I met Shawn. He is calm, smart, generous and loyal. He supports me in all of the best ways and has never once belittled or shamed me for my weaknesses or inadequacies. Shawn loves me with a patient tenderness that blesses me deeply and brings out the best in me. He pursues his relationship with God with a tenacity that challenges me daily and he faithfully prays for me and our family. I couldn't have asked for a better man to spend my life with and my heart is full knowing that we're both in this for the long haul.
It feels like God has brought us through a lot in 3 short years. Neither of us knew that 4 short months after saying 'I do' we'd be talking through the possibility of changing careers and moving to Texas. We didn't know that we'd be welcoming our firstborn into the world only one month after celebrating our one year wedding anniversary and we definitely didn't know that only days after our sweet baby girl turned six months old we would be loading up our car and moving across the country. It's been a whirlwind, but one thing is absolutely for sure - God has been faithful to us. We can look back and clearly see Gods faithful, loving presence in our lives individually, in our marriage and in our family. Our faith has grown, our marriage has grown and our character is richer because of the circumstances we've navigated and the experiences we've shared over the last 3 years.
I whole-heartedly loved Shawn the day I married him but now I can honestly say that I love him in far deeper ways than I did back then. There is no better man to walk through life with me than him and certainly no one better to be a father to our children. Shawn, I love you, I'm thankful for you and I'm so glad that I get to be your wife.
Love,
Erica
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