Celebrating 4 Years

It is now officially our 4th wedding anniversary. Over the past few days, the various photo memories from 4 years ago have popped up in the Facebook Memories feed and they have made me smile.

Sam and I were married in Florida. Ours is a wonderful love story. I know that I have added many new followers since I first told how our friendship turned into a relationship and eventually a life as husband and wife. For you newcomers, I blogged all about it for our first wedding anniversary. It was a series of three blogs. Here they are so you can catch up:

As I reread those blogs, all the emotions come running back to me. They made me laugh, smile, cry, and smile all over again. What a wonderful journey we have been on.

Of course, our family has grown since those blogs were written. We’ve been blessed with our beautiful daughter, Ella and our handsome son, Andrew. The kids keep us VERY busy and we are always lacking sleep, and we wouldn’t change that for the world. They bring us both so much joy and I’m sure they will continue to do that for years to come.

I can’t imagine life without Sam. I disappoint her and annoy her often. I forget to do things all the time. I make messes. I make mistakes. I’m far from perfect. She continues to love me. She forgives me. She puts up with me. She reasons with me. When I am confused, angry, or emotional, she is the voice of reason. She is the “glue” that holds everything together. That is why I wanted to write something specifically for her.

My dearest Samantha,

I could spend hours and hours standing in a Hallmark store looking through thousands of cards, and none of them would ever be able to express how grateful I am for you. None of them would be able to convey how very much I love you. To be perfectly honest, I am not sure that I can even find the words to do that, but I’m going to try..

I had no idea when we met that we would fall in love. When we did and talked about getting married and having children together, I had no idea that when we did it would be this amazing. I had no idea that along with the happiness, there would also be struggles. In four years, we have been through a lot, and always come out on top. God has always made sure things fall into place. I have no doubt that He will continue to be ever present in the years we have ahead.

Thank you for being so good to me and for being so loving, patient, and kind. You’re as thoughtful today as you were when we first met. I’m thankful that you’re so willing to listen to me and to share with me your feelings and dreams, even your concerns and your worries. I always heard how important open communication was in marriage, and I wholeheartedly believe it.

I honestly can’t think of how my life would be without you in it. I imagine it would be empty, sad, cold, and meaningless. As the coming years pass, I know that the love that we share will continue to grow. I look forward to growing old together, (even though many would consider me old already). The thought of all the upcoming years spent by your side brings me such deep joy and an inner peace that I can hardly comprehend. I know that, no matter what, we’ll stay together, through thick and thin. That’s what real love and commitment is all about, and that’s what I have for you.

Thank you for the many memories that we have made over the past four years. They will forever make me smile. Thank you for being such a wonderful wife to me. I am so very lucky to have you as my soulmate. Thank you for being such a loving mother to our children. They are as lucky as I am to have you in their life. Finally, thank you for loving me. Your love means everything to me. I look forward to the future and cannot wait to make new memories with you and our family.

I love you with everything that I am today, tomorrow and forever.

Keith.

I STILL Believe in Miracles!

In the past few months, I have had many new followers to this blog. For the benefit of them, here is a brief introduction to where this blog is going.

Prior to 2017, my life was a shambles. I suffered from depression. I was unhappy. I was lost. I was not “me.” Because of years of unhappiness, I didn’t even know who “me” was. Enter my (now) wife Sam. My entire life turned around.

Today is our third wedding anniversary. Over the course of our friendship, courtship, and marriage, my life has done a complete turn around. I have been the happiest I have ever been. She is my true soul mate. This is the first miracle I wanted to focus on. You can read what lead up to our relationship here:

https://nostalgicitalian.com/2019/03/16/the-beginnings-of-a-beautiful-friendship/

You can read about how we got engaged here:

https://nostalgicitalian.com/2019/03/17/part-ii-the-proposal/

And you can read about our wedding here:

https://nostalgicitalian.com/2019/03/18/part-iii-to-the-aisle/

Now that you are all up to speed, I can continue. First, I want to send a message to my wife and then I will share some exciting news.

Happy Anniversary, Sam

Dearest Sam –

Today we celebrate 3 years of marriage. It’s hard to believe it has been that long, and at the same time it doesn’t feel like it has been long at all. I cannot imagine my life without you. Thank you for all you have done for me. You may not think that you have done much, yet, you have done everything. You have never left my side. You have always been a support and have loved me unconditionally. I am so lucky to have you as my wife and partner.

I have loved those special moments that we have been able to share together. Our trips to Nashville, Cleveland, Kentucky, and of course, to Florida. Those memories will forever warm my heart and bring a smile to my face. You have added immense joy, bliss, and happiness to my life. I discovered what true love in our years together. I fall in love with you over and over each and every day.

You are an amazing mom to our sweet baby girl. I love to watch the two of you interact. I love the way you two look at each other. I will never have to worry about whether she will be raised right. I know the bond that you two share now, is one that will grow and last forever! Thank you for not only being special to me, but special to her. We certainly have been blessed with a wonderful family.

The old saying goes, “The destination doesn’t matter, the journey does.” What good is the journey, however, without a wonderful partner? Sam, I look forward to the years ahead with you. I look forward to the journey ahead and the memories we will make in the process. I love you forever!

Keith

Breaking News …

The second miracle was our daughter, Ella. Doctors told me I had a very slim chance (about 4%) of ever having children again. When we found out we were expecting, it was just amazing. You can read about that here:

https://nostalgicitalian.com/2019/07/26/i-believe-in-miracles/

You can read about her birth here:

https://nostalgicitalian.com/2020/02/14/shes-here/

Ella turned one year old in February and is our pride and joy! So rather than me let the cat out of the bag, how about I let Miracle #2 tell you about Miracle #3 …

You read her shirt correctly! Ella is going to be a big sister!!! We are expecting another baby in October and we are just thrilled.

We found out that Sam was pregnant three days before Ella’s birthday. It was the one year anniversary of her going into labor. She was laying in bed and she hadn’t been feeling well. She was uncomfortable and crampy. I had already asked her if she thought she was pregnant and she said she didn’t think so. At some point. she got up to use the restroom, and there was an extra pregnancy test under the sink. She took the test and it almost immediately popped up that she was pregnant. So from the bathroom, she simply yelled to me, “Well….we’re pregnant!” I thought she was messing with me, but she brought out the test and there it was.

It was such a surprise to both of us! Naturally, we are very excited. Sam had her ultrasound at the OB today. Because of Covid, only the patient is allowed in the office. I had planned on sleeping a bit, then getting up and going to the doc with her, but when we found out that she was the only one allowed in, Sam told me to make sure I slept before work. She texted me this afternoon saying that all went well. Baby’s heartbeat was 174 and the Due Date is October 14th. She also texted me the ultrasound picture.

Just like Ella, the baby moved around a lot during the ultrasound, so it was hard to get a good picture.

Willa Cather once said, “Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” There is GREAT love in our family….and the miracles continue!