That pretty much says it all! I did marry up. I support this claim with words for our premarital counselor who told Jonathan that he must have cheated on his personality profile because he was pretty much perfect. How’s that for starting a marriage?  A barber has also told him that he has a perfect head.  What’s a girl to do?  Well, she marries the guy with the perfect head and has an adventuresome life. I further support this claim of marrying up by saying that Jonathan is a sweet person full of a quick wit and a positive outlook on life. Most importantly, he recognized early that his bride is right – most of the time. He once said, “Could I just be right maybe once a year?”

Earlier in the week, I wrote a blog about my thesis defense. I said that I defended my thesis 22 years ago that day. Easy to remember because I got married three days later. My major professor told we could get our major life stresses out of the way all in one week.  Not so true but in the course of that one week span, I defended my thesis, married my best friend and moved to Dallas (Plano) TX.  It was one of many adventures of Jawanathan, a name coined by my mom because our name won’t fit on one line in a phone book.  In our 22 years of marriage, we’ve had a few challenges, more than a few adventures and a ton of fun. We’ve created eternal memories. I tell college graduates and newlyweds that it is not a question of if but a question of when problems will come your way.  The old poem that says God did not promise flower-strewn pathways is quite accurate.  The real question is how you deal with the adversity and prosperity.  As for our house, that has been our dependence on what brought us together in the first place: Jesus.  Through the ups and downs we cling to the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord.  “They are plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.”  I know that Jonathan would agree that we have been blessed far beyond what we deserve. Good friends, family, a home, a beautiful daughter, freedom to worship and live and more than our share of fun sprinkled on top.  Today, 22 years later I still believe in true love, God’s grace and goodness and that I married up. How else could you explain our lives?

I love this picture of daddy and me. It was the one and only time in his life that he wore a tuxedo. He looked so handsome but he couldn’t wait to get out of it!