Eleven Years

Today Ben and I celebrated our "other" anniversary. Eleven years ago, on a cold and snowy Wednesday afternoon, Ben asked me to be his girlfriend.

My sweet future husband packed a picnic lunch for us --- heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and juice boxes. We met at the train station and took public transit downtown to the Devonian gardens. Two silly teenagers, we ate our lunch on a quiet bench in the garden and traded nervous smiles.

I thought Ben was the cutest boy in the whole world.

I'll never forget what Ben said that afternoon: "Lindsay, I'm a little scared to ask you this question. The way I see it, our relationship will end up one of two ways --- either it won't work out and we'll break up, or we will eventually end up getting married. Both options make me feel pretty nervous! ... So, will you please be my girlfriend?"

The rest, they say, is history ...

Three years later Ben took me back to the same bench in the Devonian gardens. He knelt down on one knee and gave me a beautiful diamond ring. After another endless year we finally celebrated our wedding. (And three short years later we welcomed our first baby boy!)

Where has the time gone? In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago that we were two silly sixteen-year-olds, falling madly in love with one another. However, it also feels like the years have passed by in a flash. Sitting on that wooden bench, sharing pb&j sandwiches with a cute boy eleven years ago, I could not have imagined the rich life we would share together today.

Ben and I were young when we started dating. In many ways, we grew into adulthood together. We've been a pair for a long time, through some of the most formative years of life. Neither one of us could imagine life without the other. I am blessed to have such a caring, godly, funny, sweet husband. Ben is my best friend in the entire world, and I love him more than I can ever say.

Happy anniversary, Honey. :-)