15 years with this MAN!

Randy's 16th birthday. He got to take me on a date in his old pick-up truck, "Bessie", and we had a romantic picnic in the park before we went back to his house where a surprise party was awaiting him! I am LOVING the hair! Luke asked me why Dad's hair was so sweaty - I told him that was just all the mousse he put in it to look cool! :) I really had no explanation for mine! LOL!

A few weeks before we got married - we're at a club social.

I thought my sisters-in-law would appreciate this one! LOL! That tiny little girl is my sweet niece, Bailey, who is now a Sophomore in COLLEGE!! Lee Ann is pregnant with Connor in this pic (I think).

What a wedding! 500 guests and LOTS of pictures! It seems like AGES ago!

I wanted to say one thing to our parents. RB and I were recently talking about what a blessing it is that our parents taught us that you just don't even talk about divorce. I can honestly say that I never even considered it a possibility that my parents would divorce and Randy had the same experience. This has provided a rare and unusual security that I think we take for granted. In all our crud, we've never even mentioned or thought about divorce (maybe death, but not divorce! LOL). Thanks Mom, Dad, Dale and Rita. You continue to give us an indescribable gift!

What I LOVE about Randy Brown:

WARNING: This is going to be one of those really obnoxious posts about how wonderful my spouse is! To dispel the myth (which one of his buddies contends is true) that he is perfect, I will just say that he is NOT! He is a rotten sinner just like the rest of us and in GREAT need of the grace of Jesus! I used to think he was perfect and that actually was a bit unhealthy.... Anyway! Here are some of the things I love about him! He is my best friend and has been for a long time - 20 years, actually. I guess we had a few years apart in there, but he knows me really well. There's a lot of security in that. I love that he loves Jesus. I know that in every decision and in every thing he does, he is seeking Him. Therefore, I trust him. He has the gift of wisdom and walks in humility. He is gentle and yet direct with people - so good at speaking the truth in love. He is incredibly patient and has been especially patient with me. He married a very insecure and immature GIRL! I laugh a lot and ask him what in the WORLD he was thinking!! But his prayers and his stubborn words of life and his toughness with me have changed who I am. I can't imagine who I would have been or where I would have been if I hadn't married him - God is SO merciful and GOOD! One thing I've been extremely grateful for lately is his purity. I cried recently as I thanked him for battling to keep his mind and heart sexually pure for me. The depth of his integrity in this area is becoming more and more astounding to me as I realize what a RARE gift this is that he is giving me. He's been this way for as long as I've known him (age 15) and this part of him has not changed. I love that God uses him to lead many people. If you had asked him when he was 20 years old if God would have used him as a leader, I think he would have said no. He was introverted and insecure in so many ways and the Lord has changed all that. His confidence in leading our family (even when he may be a little "off" :)) gives me an incredible sense of security. I'm so grateful that I don't have to push him to lead. Our friends call him a "stubborn old fool". This so describes him. He stubbornly refuses to let anyone destroy his vision for the impossible. And he is resolute in his faith. Being a person who will quit at the drop of a hat, I deeply admire this quality in him (and he's starting to rub off on me!). I love that God is teaching us to laugh together more right now. After some pretty rough several months (years, for that matter) in our marriage, I can honestly say that our marriage is better now than it's ever been. I wouldn't want to be married to anyone else! Other things I love: his sense of humor, his poetry, his photographic memory, his laugh, his balding head, the way he loves our kids, his parenting, our shared love of books, his good looks, his need to live simply, his heart for the poor, the way he can remember things he memorized 20+ years ago, the way he rarely panics, his optimism, his passion, his servant heart, the way he works so hard, the way he loves to sleep (and how he can sleep through anything), the way he refuses to say anything bad about people and always looks for the best, his thoughtfulness, his humility in admitting when he is wrong, the way he stuck with this marriage when many men would've left, his faith that refuses to quit....There is SO much more I could say, but you may be ready to gag at this point! I'm sorry that all the rest of you ladies missed out on the most wonderful man on the planet!!!! I'm so thankful for you, Randy Brown! I knew when I was only 15 years old that you were a treasure! I'm deeply in awe of the God who let you stick around!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! MAY THE NEXT 15 YEARS GET EVEN BETTER!!!!!