Eight years and counting...

So today is our eight-year-wedding anniversary. Some days it feels like yesterday and other days I feel like we should be at 18 years.

This particular anniversary is a little different, as Matthew and I celebrate via phone instead of cozy on the couch watching our Tuesday night shows. With the recent bout of sickness in our house over the past week (I'm the only one who hasn't been sick!), Matthew apparently was dehydrated which caused big problems with his kidney. He was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning with acute renal failure. Long story short, he got sick, has no immune system to be able to fight anything off, and he stayed sick which hurt the kidney he received from his mom 15 years ago. He's getting IVs and bloodwork and hopefully the doctors will let us know soon if there is any significant damage or if he'll recover fine. We are praying for the latter!

Meantime, I sit recalling our beautifully cold wedding day on Oct. 26, 2002... the excitement of the day and the butterflies in my stomach that morning at the salon (when I realized it was real)... the packed basilica at Notre Dame filled with our family and friends, our fidgeting in front of the Blessed Mother's altar during the 'Ave Maria'! .. and our silly wedding party pictures in front of the grotto and the Saint Mary's College sign on US31.. our wedding reception guests dancing to Brass Monkey til the bitter end (and of course maybe my drinking a little too much ;-)

But most of all I remember the feeling of love in my heart for Matthew, and the anticipation of what was yet to come for us as husband and wife. I never could have imagined the struggles, the hardships, the heartbreak, the mishaps -- or the beauty we'd be in for (namely Brayden, Mia and Téa!) ...but that's what it's all about, I think.

Marriage is the hardest challenge any two people can undertake - and there have been too many times I'm sure we've thought to give up! I'm glad we didn't.

I try and remind myself that nobody - no marriage- has it easy. Just like everyone else, we have to work on our communication, our compromises, our admission of failures and our apologies.

I know eight years may seem a little meager to some, but I'm proud of us for coming this far (eight years in Hollywood Marriage Time is like 25 years)!

As I told Matthew, we ARE living the truths of our vows - to love and stand by one another in sickness and in health, good times and bad... and Lord knows we're accepting children lovingly from God, too ;-)

My anniversary prayer tonight - that God watches over and stands by us in our troubled times ... and I pray He sees us through to 18 years... 28 years... 38 years!!