5 Years

Kari and I have been married for 5 years this Saturday.
To some of you, 5 years may not be a very long time when it comes to marriage. I mean, some of us have shoes that are older than 5 years right? Well, to Kari and I, 5 years has been both a long time and a short time.
In the grand scheme of things, 5 years compared to the all encompassing forever is not long at all. It's just the jumping off point. The waning beginnings of a much longer journey together. But as I look back on the last 5 years, it seems like we have jammed a lifetimes worth of memories in there already.
Tonight, Kari is assisting a birth, so Chaco and I are sitting in bed quietly by ourselves. Kari texted me earlier to tell me the baby was here and all went well. I started to think about how proud I was of her. I cannot believe I have married such an amazing person. I don't know if all marriages are like this, but I can honestly say I am taken back by Kari on a regular basis. She takes all of life by the reigns and does as she pleases, all while making an adventure of it.
Sometimes, when Kari and I are together, and no one is saying anything, it's just quiet, I will say "I love you" to her. When I think about it, I say that alot. Some people would probably get tired of hearing it I guess. But, I say it not to fill the silent spaces of our time together. I say it because she deserves it. I say it because no other words even come close to explaining how I feel about her. In the last 5 years you probably couldn't count the number of times I've said it. But she has deserved every one. She spends so much of herself letting others know they are cared about, that I hope she knows how much she is cared about.
She gave me a magnet not long ago that says this; "To the world you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world." I have it up at work and read it every day. It reminds me that even though we face our own challenges, we have each other to come home to. We have each other to share the frustrations and joys of life with. We have each other to share this adventure together with. There is a reason we have taken on the motto "Life is an Adventure". For 5 years there hasn't been a boring moment, as long as we've had each other. For 5 years, even the quiet moments are a time to let each other know that we amaze each other. And for the infinitely large amount of forever that we will spend with each other, we will continue to live this adventure. And I will continue to love Kari. Happy Anniversary KJ.