Today is our 10 year wedding anniversary. Woohoo! Josh is my teenage dream come true! I had the biggest crush on him when I was 17 years old. I hope you enjoy my attempt to document how we started dating. The Prequel It can be hard sometimes to determine where the beginning of a story should start. I first noticed my future husband the summer before my senior year of high school. I was 17 years old and lifeguarding at Kiwanis Wave Pool and immediately developed a school girl crush on him. This guy, who I would quickly learn was named Josh, was walking across the pool deck wearing a Tennessee Titans hat and a shirt that indicated he was a pool manager at another city pool. I honestly didn't think it would EVER be a possibility that I would date Josh because I knew he had to be in college, if not graduated, but I still joked with my friends at work over the summer that I was going to marry him one day and have his babies.I was able to get scheduled twice that summer at the … [Read more...]
In Sickness and Health
"I, Josh, take you, Tamara, for my wife,to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part." The older I become the more I feel the amazing blessing of being loved this way. When Josh and I said our marriage vows to each other on November 10th, 2007 I was in the midst of battling a neurological disorder. There were many unknowns about what our life would look like moving forward. I became sick several months into our engagement. The save the dates had already been sent when we learned that the muscle weakness and paralyzation I was experiencing weren't symptoms that would be quickly fixed or even had the potential to get better. Josh was under no obligation to stay with me. Walking was a struggle, driving a car wasn't happening, and just being able to get out of bed in the morning was hard. The reality is that most 23 year olds don't get to start off a marriage the way I did. Our plans for … [Read more...]
Cheers to 9 Years
Josh was 34 years old on our wedding day and I was a few days shy of turning 24. Today I am a few days away from turning 33 and I as look back on the last 9 years of our marriage I can proudly say that our love story is my favorite, and the best part is it isn't over yet! I would be lying if I told you that everything has been smooth sailing since the day we said I do. Neither of us are perfect and thankfully we don't pretend to be...wellllll sometimes I can be pretty close, just kidding, just kidding. But in all honesty it takes two people to make a marriage work and Josh and I always joke that we are stuck with each other for life because of our covenant marriage*. With age comes more maturity and the ability to look back on life events from a different perspective. When Josh and I got married I thought I knew what love was. I knew love needed to be patient, kind, hold no record of wrong, not easily angered, not proud, not rude, not boastful, and not self seeking. I knew all … [Read more...]
6 Ways to Pray for Your Husband
I recently joined a women's bible study and at our first meeting one of the ladies shared 6 Ways to Pray for Your Husband with the group. I was so encouraged and want to share this prayer with you. There is so much darkness in our world today. Our husbands are constantly being tempted and as wives we need to continually be praying for them. Marriage is not always easy but it is worth fighting for. God's word is powerful and I love that these prayers include the scripture references. I hope this blesses you as much as it has encouraged and blessed me. These could also be used to pray over your children. I pray that my husband may seek first Your kingdom today. Help him to live righteously. And as he seeks you, Lord, I pray that You will provide everything he needs today. And show him what his true needs are, compared to what the world says he needs. Thank you for providing for every one of his needs, Lord! Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will … [Read more...]
I Remembered Why I Fell In Love With My Husband When…
I think those of us who have been married for a few years would agree that overtime the routine of life starts to take over and you begin to forget those initial sparks that first flew between you and your spouse. Now don't get me wrong I totally love Josh. We have been married for 5 years and he is a great husband and an amazing father. But marriage is not a fairy tale. The reality is that the stress from daily life can take a toll on your relationship if you allow it. I was feeling particularly stressed out this past month with packing and sorting up all our belongings for our move. I was making my way to each area of the house sorting all of our items when I came across a grocery bag that was shoved under our bed. As I began to remove the contents of the bag my heart started to melt and so did all the stress I had been feeling. Inside were dozens and dozens of handwritten love letters from Josh. For the next 45 minutes I sat on the floor and allowed myself to be flooded with … [Read more...]
