January 1st, 2019 marks 3 of the best years of my life.

Reinier, do you remember when you flew across the world to see me and meet the rest of my (crazy) family?

What about the time that you rented a plane (thanks to your amazing pilot neighbor!) to ask me to be your wife?

I still have all of the postcards that you sent every week during our long distance engagement, counting down the weeks until we saw each other again.

You pursued me well.

But you know what I really remember? The “little” things. The everyday ways that you make life fun and make this journey of missions and parenting and everything in between a experience that I will never take for granted.

It’s the way you make my favorite meals or bring home a candy bar from the grocery store because you know I like my sweets.

It’s the race to get into the bed first at night so that the other person has to turn off the light.

It’s the evenings after a long day that we sit on the couch and watch our shows together.

It’s the way that you spend time with Joshua. No one can make him laugh like his daddy.

It’s the way you take care of the cars and the house and anything else that somehow gets broken along the way.

It’s the way you treat our parents.

It’s how you kiss me goodnight and good morning every day.

The list could go on and on.

But as I think about all of these “little” things, I realize that they aren’t so little after all.

I would trade a plane, flying across the world, and all of the postcards for just a moment, cuddled up on the couch with you.

Thank you for making the “little” things the big things. Thank you for pursuing me well before marriage, but also making me feel loved and cherished and even more pursued after we said “I do.”

I love you!

Your wife,

Kristen