07 June 2009
"Marriage is intended to bring joy. The married life is meant to be the happiest, fullest, purest, richest life. It is God's own ideal of completeness."
It makes me smile that same giddy smile six years later just thinking about it.
In six years we have already made a lifetime's worth of memories. Some of them rapturous, many of them ordinary, and a few of them heartbreaking.
We moved into our first apartment after we got married and for months felt like we were kids playing house. Truth is, we still feel that way.
We held hands as we marched at our college graduation, getting to walk across the platform one after the other because our last name was the same!
We bought our first house. Painted our first wall that really belonged to us. Unclogged our first toilet. Mowed our first lawn. We made it our home.
We have welcomed a son and buried a daughter. Loved each other through the stomach flu and poison ivy, bad haircuts and worse hair colors. We've been through 1 apartment, 3 homes, 5 cars and 1 motorcycle (and subsequently, one ambulance ride). We've eaten ramen some months and high off the hog others.
We've lived life.
And, just as we held each other's hands with giddy anticipation as we said our vows, and as we marched proudly hand in hand at our college graduation, and again as we stood in the paint aisle after we bought our first home, and we clung tightly to one another watching the screen during happy ultrasounds and sad ones, we are still hand in hand six years later - not because we have any idea of what is to come, but because we know who (and Who!) will be right there with us when it does.
It's true, a sixth anniversary isn't divisible by five or remarkable for any particular reason. But, it is the anniversary of the day our life together began - the day that makes all these days after it so incredibly remarkable!
Happy anniversary, baby!
"The wedding day is one that should ever be remembered and held sacred among life's anniversaries. It is the day whose benediction should fall on all other days to the end of life. It should stand out in the calendar bright with all the brightness of love and gratitude. The memory of the wedding-hour in a happy married life should shine like a star, even in old age."
-an excerpt from Home-Making by J.R. Miller
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50 comments:
how precious that at this exact time, the time you married your ryan 6 years ago, APRIL ROSE came into this world - defying all of the doctor's and modern medicine! :)
Happy Anniversary guys! We love you. Hope you had a great weekend reminiscing and celebrating.
Happy Anniversary, Friends. <3
Happy Anniversary! May the Lord bless & keep you in His love and care for many many more years.
Happy Anniversary to you and Ryan!
I hope there is some way that you can keep us updated on baby April. I was upset to see that because of this cruel world the miracle of April Rose can't be shared. Thanks for your posts! Staci
RE: Anonymous:
If April Rose is not fake, why are you deleting things? Were you not updating for her? People were invested in this. If you are as good a person as you portray yourself to be, please let us know what is going on?
-------------
This is Ryan, Raechel's husband.
Comments are being deleted from this blog because this is our family's PERSONAL blog.
This is here for our friends and family and not as a sounding board. A blog post about mine and my wife's 6 wonderful years of marriage is no place for this drama.
We have offered support to a friend through her pregnancy. That does not merit questioning the spiritual walk of my wife.
I would kindly ask you to no longer include Raechel in your opinions on this issue. On her blog, or by e-mail.
Thanks,
Ryan
Happy anniversary! Your family is in my thoughts. I fervently pray that things don't get difficult for you as you obviously have kind hearts.
happy anniversary! :)
i totally understand your removing stuff from your blog, i have considered doing the same and have made my blog private. i KNOW b exists - i have her puppy and met her IN PERSON 4 weeks ago. raechel, i'd LOVE to chat with you a bit, but not sure how IF that's possible, or how to connect with you. i am in NO way questioning you, your family or your spiritual walk - i've rather enjoyed following your blog and your garage sale finds! :) i'd love to be in touch if you are willing/able! :)
Congrats! Keep your heads held high...God knows each of our hearts...thank you for keeping us updated on B and baby April. I hope all is still going ok for them. It breaks my heart that there are such mean, heartless people that lack tact. I would never in a million years accuse someone that I didn't know of something that I didn't know for a fact. All we can do is pray for them. Thanks again for updating us all.
And Congrats again!!!
Happy Anniversary!
Happy 6th years!!! I also hope you can keep us updated on Miss April Rose!!!
I've been waiting all day for an update!?!?
Happy Anniversary a day late. I found your blog thru some tweets and just wanted to say thank you for helping B. This world sure is cruel. I am getting ready to have a yard sale and after looking at your post on yard sales I know that my prices are pretty good. I hope to get rid of everything. If you would like to take a road trip to Farmington, AR this weekend I will have lots of kids clothes, ha. Have a great day and thanks again for helping a friend.
I loved reading your blog today. It has been so much fun making new friends through the blog world. This is my fourth month to have a blog. I am amazed at all the unique and fun sites. I am posting about our recent Disney trip and have a couple more posts about our visit with the "Mouse" ....then I will have more than a few posts about a new "grandson" arriving in just a couple of weeks...
♥
Congratulations on your six years together. You deserve all the happiness in the world. And your family is SOOO cute!!
Happy Six years together. You have a beautiful family and such a strong sense of self and faith that I with I could model myself after. Many more years to come!
Y'all. People are weird.
Remind me why we're doing this internet thing again?
Oh, that's right. So the Cases and the Myers can keep in step with each other, right? That's the only reason I'm doing it, at least.
Happy 6th, guys. You do the marriage thing so well. I love you both.
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary! Hope yall had a fabulous day lovin on eachother! You're a beautiful couple inside and out!
And what the heck is with all the deleted comments??
(Belated) Congratulations! This is a very cute post! :)
Happy Anniversary! How funny, ours is this week too.
(Also, Teresa@GrammyGirlfriend left the EXACT same comment on one of my posts. Word for word.)
Happy Anniversary ;)
hi - i just wanted to say hi - my friends (ryan & rachel d - we are in ann arbor) went to high school with you and showed me your blog last weekend - i have been glued to the computer reading all of your archives, posts, and links for the past 3 days - you are an amazing writer - thanks for sharing your story...
amy
Congrats!
I know you were just helping B out, and there is this big mess out there. All I know is that I have been praying and be hopeful for B and her family. I was so happy with your updates and happy for April. If anything can you tell me if they are okay?
Hope you're anniversary went well!! Sorry you're getting such craziness about baby April. I can't believe people are like that. It's awful. You are good, kind, Christ-centered people, and if others can't see that about you (or B) that is there loss.
Thanks for the tip on the granola! I'm going to attempt making it with banana either this afternoon or tomorrow, whichever my little crazies will allow.
I just stumbled accross your blog and think you're absolutely wonderful! Your family is gorgeous and you are such an inspiration! I hope to keep up with your blog! Thank you for sharing your life with others!
Blessings on your anniversary! Sorry for all you are going through right now. Evie Grace and Oliver are beautiful.
Love & prayers
Neat! Our anniversary is the same day! We've been married 7 years now. God is so good! :)
Happy Anniversary! You, and your family are in my prayers as you are going through this time.
Your children are beautiful!
So I swear (not really) that I'm not a stalker... but as I checked my email today I noticed you had a gmail account and then decided I'd look and see if you had a blog... and then I read most of your blog. Truly not stalkerish at all. But I just wanted to say that through your blog and prior parts of blogs I've read of yours I think you're a phenomenal, inspiring person. To give love to someone else is to give one of the greatest gifts God bestows in us. You will be in my prayers and I thank God that there are such incredibly loving, God work doing women.
BTW - Happy Anniversary... I know neither of you, but after reading just about all of your blog entries (totally not stalkerish:) I feel like I know you, Ryan and little Oliver (love the name).
In Him, Meredith
Happy belated Anniversary. I pray it was at least a good one especially with all you've been through these last few days.
Thank you for being a Christian to someone who needed Christ. Did Christ withhold his love from those who sin and needed it? If he had we'd all be lost today. If we wait til someone "earns" our love and assistance then we'll wait forever. That does mean that sometimes we'll get burned. I'm just thankful you'll get out of the boat to walk on water - I may need that one day. :)
Happy belated anniversary. Each year is special and a milestone these days so celebrate each one joyfully! I have been married 24 years now and unfortunately that is almost unheard of these day.
Keep Jesus in the center of your life and you will be blessed!
Beth
I am getting married to the love of my life in two short months. We are finding God together and life has never been better. This post brings tears to my eyes, God is so good. Thank you for sharing yourself.
thanks raechel! :)
sheila ♥
I am sorry for the loss of your precious baby girl!
But I do want to congratulate you on your wedding anniversary!!!!
The years will go by fast, that's for sure!
Happy (belated) Anniversary! I just found your blog & wanted to comment because the same day was our 12th wedding anniversary! What a lovely post honoring a beautiful marriage! Congratulations!
Raechel,
I hope you were able to enjoy your Anniversary!
Thinking of you and praying for your heart -
Your new blog friend,
Tina
Hi there, stopped over from Angie's blog. How beautifully written your love, your life, your times over the years. It made me smile as I read thinking the same is true for my husband and I.
Blessings to you as your reflect and celebrate a new year ahead!!
Linda
What a beautiful post! I found your blog through unfortunate circumstances, but I am glad I did. You write beautifully!
Happy Anniversary - a few days late! June is a good month - my hubby and I celebrated ours on June 2!
Congratulations on 6 years of marriage! Your a great inspiration.
"for months felt like we were kids playing house. Truth is, we still feel that way."
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that!!!!!! I feel the same about my marriage! Proof that somehow I found my perfect match!
Love your blog! I just found you today so I need to catch up!
xoxo
Marian
Whatever happened to way back whensday? (I can't spell the right the first time I try anytime I type it!)
I don't know you, and haven't really followed your blog before, but found you through MckMamma and Angie. You seem like a beautiful person inside and out, have been through something horrible, and don't deserve and should not be recieving all of this cruel comments. If this is all true we were all victimized, but you worst of all! Stay true to what you know is true and never stop doing what is right...
blessings,
Allison
Oklahoma
Love this post! Happy Marriage to you!!!
I have just learned of your blog and the other women involved in the aforementioned horrible situation and I just want to say that I am so sorry. I haven't read as much of your blog yet as the other women but I feel already that you truly are a wonderful person. I am sorry that in this world there are people that would take advantage of someone as seemingly kind, caring and wonderful as yourself. I will be praying for all of y'all and for this woman. I feel the need to speak to you and say please don't let your heart be hardened, for that is something that you may never recover from if you go down that path. I'm sorry if I'm butting in. I truly am. For some reason I felt compelled to tell y'all that...thanks for taking the time to read this comment. I am leaving similar comments on all of y'alls blogs--I hope they are read and that you don't find my comment offensive in any way.
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