best laid plans

Eleven years ago today I married my best friend. I was 19 and he was 20. (Just a couple of kids!) Our wedding day was beautiful and nearly perfect - except I forgot to bring his wedding ring to the church and realized my mistake as the pastor was asking for the rings during the ceremony. Oops!

Oh the plans we had for our life together back then....

We were going to get married and take two years off from college in order to serve on the mission field in the Dominican Republic. 

We did that. 

Then we were going to finish college. 

We did that too. 

Then it was PA school for me and Joe was going to start his career in finance. Then AFTER graduate school we would move back to Minnesota to be near family. I would get established in my career - family practice or pediatrics - and Joe would work with his dad - as a financial advisor. And then after a few years we would start having babies. 

And THIS is where our plans derailed!

The thing is I was 8 months pregnant with Isaiah when we graduated college. (Not in the plans!) And I took an (unplanned) year off before starting PA school. And then during PA school Joe had his quarter-life crisis and decided to go back to school for medicine. Which meant starting at the very beginning as he had not taken ANY of the science pre-requisites. And so on and so forth...

So here we are 11 years later. With our 3 kids - born in 3 different states (none in Minnesota!) thanks to our seemingly never ending higher education. I am well established in my career as MOM. And Joe is on his way to becoming a doctor. None of this was in THE PLANS. 

But here is the truth of it all. Though I NEVER would have pictured our life turning out this way, I am so glad it did. Because I love my husband. And I love the crazy, ever-changing life we have created together. He's still my best friend. And I am so lucky to have spent the last 11 years with him. 

Admittedly I have no clue what the next 11 will look like. I won't even try to guess (or plan them!) Because trusting God and my husband has proven to be a much better plan. So I am going to stick with that plan.

I love you Joe! Thank you for loving me. You are still my best friend. Even if you laugh at me when things like this happen...

(All of the pictures today are completely random - taken off Facebook. Sorry. It's the best I could do because all of our pictures are packed and ready to move...in 19 days! Plus it was 4 o'clock in the morning and I was wondering where my husband was - so it may not be my most cohesive writing:) Turns out he was studying. He had gotten up early so he could get four hours of study time in AND still spend the day with me. That's love.)