Second Eighteen

Eighteen years ago on June 4th, I married my hubby.  I was only 18 years old, 1 month from 19, but still 18.  In my second 18 years I've learned so much about life, myself, and grew a beautiful family.  I was hurting when I got married.  My parent's divorced after being married for 19 years.  Even being a young adult, I was lost, hurting and had an overwhelming need to be in a family.  You know a functioning one.  Thank goodness Heavenly Father knew me well, before I knew Him well.  He sent Kyle from Minnesota looking for a wife at the time I was needing to be in a family.

Kyle left Minnesota looking for a wife and ended up moving in with his grandparents for awhile.  We both started working at Landoll's (a coloring book factory in Ashland).  We ended up going to a party at a mutual friends and talked to the wee hours of the night.  He was everything that I thought I wanted in a marriage.  Even down to the detail of wanting to name our first child Dakota.  Me because I thought the name was cool and Kyle because he wanted to name his son after him and Dakota is his middle name.

We dated for two weeks before Kyle sort of proposed to me.  Both of our parents thought we were crazy only dating a short time and setting a marriage date.  Kyle being 22 at the time of our marriage was ready, I was needing a family it all seemed too good to be true.  Kyle filled the void of my missing family.  He helped me get through the damage I wasn't expressing vocally about my parent's divorce.

With that divorce, I told him I don't ever want to divorce.  It doesn't matter how old the kids are it HURTS!  We have been through a couple difficult times in our marriage.  One after Dakota was born and I had postpartum depression.  I didn't know what postpartum depression was at the time and didn't know what was wrong with me.  I had the family that I was urning for a year earlier and couldn't figure out why I wasn't blissfully happy.  I got pregnant with Kayla when Kota was 9 months old.  This was very difficult for me until the ultrasound revealed a girl.  Then things came back around.

The second hardest time in our marriage was when we both lost our jobs within two months of each other.  We were in financial devistation.  We experienced hardship that could have driven us to divorce, instead we let it drive us into activity at church.  What could have been the worst time of our life financially, turned into the best time spiritually and built testimonies that have given us the resource of Prayer, and a knowledge of a Heavenly Father who loves us.  Some of our best memories in our marriage has come from the foundation of faith we have built as a family. 

Trials come and go in different degrees of difficulty, but we have found that when we rely on Heavenly Father as a couple and/or family everything works out.  What else could a person ask for in a marriage?

So what do you do for your 18th wedding anniversary?  You go watch your daughter play her first summer league soccer game of the year. 

Today we went to the Lotus to get Kyle his 1/2 price sushi and pork dumplings in the most awesome ginger soy sauce, while the teens went with their new ward friends to Cedar Point.  I love my life!