On Cinco de Mayo, one year ago, I stood in front of my kids and closest friends and promised my heart to a man who makes me laugh and smile every day.
Our special day was relaxed and fun. We aimed for a low-stress event that would feel like a tailgate or BBQ among friends, which is exactly what we ended up with.
Each year we will be able to eat tacos and drink margaritas and celebrate our marriage.
Life is funny how it works, and how the right person can come along at just the right moment. I met my husband after going through a divorce from my children’s father, after meeting some dates who were clearly not for me.
My husband embodies everything that I never knew I needed in life.
He is the calm in the midst of my storm.
He is the patience to offset my crazy.
He believes in me, in my dreams, in my goals, even when I forget to.
He is a builder, a builder of people. It can be seen in his love for coaching football. The love of the game is part of it, but there is more than that. He has the ability to see potential in people, to believe in them.
That is what is amazing about him.
From our first date, he has kept me laughing with cheesy joke after cheesy joke.
Today marks our first anniversary, and in true fashion, we are not spending the majority of the day together, but rather we are dividing and conquering the weekend, him at an out of town football game, and me sending my oldest son to his senior prom.
The beauty is that though today may mark the official date, as made up as it sounds, every day is like an anniversary. Some days are full of love and friendship, some days are full of work and long hours. Each day feels like coming home.
In loving me fully, he has also fully embraced loving my kids. It is not easy for someone to willingly step into a relationship with a mom with kids, much less four kids.
Over the past six years, he and my kids have been able to develop unique relationships all their own. Not just as a step-father and step-children, but as family. His love for them does not usually carry the title, and he often says, “They are steps because that is what the world calls them, but to me they are just my kids that I got to meet later in life.”
That is just one of the amazing aspects of this man that I get to spend my life with.
365 days ago we took a day to party, and celebrate our love story with our friends and family. That day was a symbol of our story, though not the beginning, and not the end. We will circle the sun many more times as man and wife.
Laughing, working, playing, eating tacos, and sharing it all with those we care about.
Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband. I love you, 3000. 😉
Mary Mason-Wheeler 