To my husband on our 20th anniversary

To my husband, Rob,

Today, August 20th, is our 20th anniversary. We don't have much and can't give each other a "real" gift, but here is my gift to you.

In these 20 years, we've grown up together, learned together, made a LOT of mistakes together, come to know each other, hurt each other, made three wonderful children together, grown closer than I could have EVER have imagined, cried together, laughed even more together, seen bad times & good times together, and truly learned what it means to be together and love one another through sickness and health, for richer or poorer.

Happy Anniversary Rob. Thank you for loving me, for being my best friend since all those years ago on our first date, putting up with me, staying with me, and understanding me better than I often understand myself. :)

20 Things I love about my husband (not in any particular order):

1. He loves God and is letting Him work on the "rough" spots in his heart
2. He makes me laugh, sometimes so hard I pee my pants :)
3. He is intelligent & can explain things to me when I "don't get it" (well, he can unless it's car stuff) :)
4. He is a "deep-end" thinker
5. He is an AWESOME dad!!!
6. He supports me in my life and my work & he understands the stresses of my work & "gets it"- the good & bad, the burdens I have for kids, the problems I face & see each day
7. He takes me on rides to the country sometimes when we can and we listen to worship music and talk and just enjoy each others' company
8. He understands the gobs of at-home schoolwork I drag home every night & weekend, and we do our schoolwork together
9. He has a terrific sense of humor
10. He loves our kids, totally & completely
11. He has become a good bass player & I love to listen to him play & to see him worship God at church in the worship band!
12. He still thinks I'm pretty - even though I know I'm really not
13. He makes me so totally, completely content & happy when I see him wrestle with Matthew, tickle & pester Barbara and make her giggle and squeal, cut up & joke with the boys and do one liners until we are all laughing hard!
14. He takes care of me- like right now he's back here fussing at me for staying up late when I should be going to bed. :) :) :) (Now you know what I've been staying up late doing for a night or two now. :))
15. He helps me in my classroom with all the good, silly, dumb, corny, and whatever else kind of projects I dream up- he's hung up more stuff for me, helped me move furniture, bought & assembled furniture and put up with me spending TONS of money on my kinderkids- and he's rarely ever complained, fussed, or grouched about it. :)
16. He went with me to all these dumb dr.'s appointments this year- when he never would have done that before- but he's been there for me through all these appointments, tests, and all, holding my hand and helping support me
17. He listens to me talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk (Momma thanks you for that I'm sure!)
18. He promised Momma that I would finish college when we got engaged & married, and he kept that promise.
19. He gave me three of the most wonderful children a mom could ever hope to have, and he helped me raise them into the terrific young adults they are now becoming!
20. He stood by me through thick & thin, when people advised us both to give up on each other & ourselves & our dreams, when we messed up big time and had problems that were just about insurmountable, when we were stupid, young kids who thought they knew better than others & we really didn't, when we were advised to get a divorce or have an abortion, or quit school, he stayed put and toughed it out with me.

Happy Anniversary Rob. I will always love you. I pray God allows us many more years to grow old together and closer than we are even now.

With all my love,

Rebekah :)