Saturday, June 27, 2009

11 years!

Today Sergei and I are celebrating our 11th year wedding anniversary, he in Chicago with Zoya and Polly and 90 degree weather and air conditioning and me in Kiev with Elaina and Evie and 90 degree weather and lack there of, of air conditioning.

11 years ago who would have thought that I'd be sitting here in the apartment of his childhood getting ready to go to sleep for the night while he would be half way around the world, back in my neck of the woods trying to corale kids to take a nap in order to finish a rather tightly conjured sermon for tomorrow's service.

Elaina and I walked around downtown Kiev today and met Sergei's brother Nic for lunch. Tonight with a dinner of left over salad and chocolate ice cream Elaina and I clinked glasses, hers being store bought water and mine, a chilled glass of white wine.

Happy Anniversary to us. God has done more with us these past eleven years than I could have ever imagined. We've moved eight times in our married life; two apartments in Chicago, one apartment in Coloma, MI, then a short stint with my parents, then to Kiev with a nine month old and a two-and-a-half year old first to his mom's two bedroom apartment, then to our own apartment on the other side of town, another move in Kiev to a different location for church planting, then back to the States when Polly was born with Down syndrome and finally, for now, we've landed back in Chicago at Christian Fellowship Church.

I realize that with life comes the unexpected. I am greatful to God for my husband, for our love and laughter and for our hope for the future and even for the fact that we have no idea what's to come. My husband is my best friend, a great father, a humble shepherd and strong leader. And I get to see first hand that what he preaches from the pulpit on Sundays is what he lives out in his day to day life.

And he loves me...

I am blessed.

This picture of him with Evie says it all. He loves her so much already...

Happy Anniversary buddy...I love you.