My Dearest Gary Britt,

Happy Anniversary!  8 years ago we got married, today we are expecting baby #4.  Time really seems to fly.  The last year (two really) have been really good years for us.  We have enjoyed a wonderful Church home, with no big problems.  We have enjoyed the same house, a record amount of time in one place for us.  We have enjoyed some stability, with a good job, and getting our finances in order, another first for us.  In a lot of ways I have felt like we can plan and dream again.  It is still hard to do, because I know security is an illusion, but I feel like we CAN.  We can dream about more kids, a larger car, no debt, our own home, being closer to Church and town, all the adventures we want to take the kids on.  We can even talk about retirement now, and what all we'd love to do.  These things are so new.

In other ways we have grown to be comfortable with one another, like a pair of perfectly broke in bluejeans.  We can sit in our chairs at the end of the night, you playing Frozen Bejeweled on the ipad while you watch some game, and me working on lesson plans or scrolling through facebook.  But you still surprise me too in so many ways, of course you say I'm so easy to surprise and everything makes me happy.  But you decided to take me golfing with you for the first time, just us two while the kids were gone, and I actually had a lot of fun watching you and driving/riding in that golf cart (you really can't drive one).  It's a real blessing to have someone who loves me at my best and my worst.  Who is understanding when I don't even understand what's going on with my moods.  Someone that I want to please and help, but someone for whom I don't have to put on pretenses or try to be someone I'm not.  I don't have to filter me with you, and that is something that is unique to us.  I don't have that level of trust and comfort with anyone else.

Your level of dedication to this family, working hard without complaint never ceases to amaze me.  You don't manage all the little things, you mostly leave the workings of bedtime and the intricacies of our homeschool resources and scheduling up to me.  But you do everything that makes the rest possible working all day, long work weeks and then coming home and feeding us all.  It leaves me free to handle everything else.  I don't say it enough, but I appreciate that you literally handle the two biggest things in our household.

I also never tire of watching you with the kids.  When you and Britt wrestle, when you let Ruth be supper helper, when you and Rebecca stretch out with taggie in your recliner and watch the Ray's game at night.  I wonder what new favorites I will love with this next baby (who will not be named Basil or Gary Britt the III).  I find that despite having grown comfortable together, it doesn't dull the love I feel for you.  It is really amazing that God has given us this gift of marriage, this ability to both become comfortably one over the years and yet still have a fire that keeps life exciting.  I pray we have many more such years together.

I love you,
~your dani~