15th anniversary

posted on 31 March 2010

Yesterday was our 15th anniversary. I decided that I would do today’s “Wednesday’s Walk” about my sweet husband, Jerry. I chose not one, but several photos that I hope depict important things in this man’s life.

This man… is the one I married March 30, 1995. We both had been through a previous marriage. It took him five years to get me to even consider going out with him. We were married by Judge Daniel J. LOVE in the courthouse in Dodge City, Kansas. No big ceremony… just us, the judge, and his two office workers as witnesses.

This man… as a boy lived part of his life on his grandparents’ farm. The same farm that has been in his family since the 1870s.

This man… shed tears for that same farm, for the memories it invoked, when it was razed in early 2009.

This man… was sooooooooo proud when his first grandchild was born, the first child of his oldest son.

This man… was equally proud when my oldest son’s first child was born, making no distinction between “his” or “mine”… they are all “ours.”

This man… held tightly to my hand, talking to me, the whole way across the Royal Gorge Bridge, because he knows I am deathly afraid of heights, knowing I wanted to face that fear and see the wonder and beauty of God’s handiwork. {Taken 1994. Jerry is standing beside the Kansas segment of the bridge… there is a photo of me in the same spot, but I was unable to find it.}

This man… had no idea from whence his family came. I asked him one day, “Where were your ancestors from?” That day began one of our favorite hobbies together – genealogy {I’ve been a genealogist for longer than I’ve known Jerry}. I helped him research his ancestors, find many, many ancestral photos, and a whole slew of new “cousins” all over the world. He now knows his Carmichael family came from Scotland {photo above, taken c. 1909/1911 at the Carmichael farm, rural Burrton, Kansas}. Other branches of his family are from, among others places, Germany and England.

This man… looks like he is standing at attention in all the photos taken at my oldest son’s wedding. *groan* LOL!

This man… has many talents. Fisherman of huge fish. Baker of no-bake cookies. Ummm… sticker of pop cans to his head. My hero.

This man… writes me love letters. I save each and every one.

This man… is called Dean by his family {it’s his middle name}. Because his dad’s name is Jerry… and his oldest son’s name is Jerry. But my Jerry is the Sr. because his dad’s middle name is different. My family doesn’t know him by anything except Jerry. Because he doesn’t like the middle name of Dean.

This man… has been through 3 surgeries in the past two years, and lives with a 15-year medical condition {see his medical updates page if you want to know the details}. It’s hard to watch someone you love live with such pain all the time.

This man… is the biggest kid I know.

This man… is my best friend, my confidante, my soul, my everything. We don’t have much, but that doesn’t matter to us. We only need God… and each other. Thank you, honey, for the past 15 years. Thank you, Lord, for this man.