Seven Years!

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Nope, I'm not talking about how long Jacob had to work for Laban to gain each wife. Nor the years of famine that drove Joseph's family to Egypt. Nor how long it took Solomon to build the Temple.

I'm talking about the 7th wedding anniversary of Chad and Kate Oberholtzer -- we made it!

We had a nice day of spending some quiet time together at home working on some projects side-by-side, and then headed out for an evening dinner. We went back to The Tavern, which has been "our restaurant" since we were PSU students dating. That's also where we ate the night that Chad proposed, and we've been back many times since. The fact that we found an old gift card also helped to decide our location tonight. But when they rang it up at the end, we discovered that we only had 80 cents left on it! Oh well... :)

We exchanged a couple of gifts once we got home (and back into sweatpants!), and Chad pulled out this one for me...

(Father of the Bride, Part II)

...which he states he bought when we were first married and put in the "Kate box", and was waiting until I was pregnant to give it to me!!! He surprises me so often with his romantic moments...

I asked him a few weeks after I stepped away from my job this past summer, "Is it just me, or am I being exponentially nicer to you?!" He replied with a huge smile that answered my question. Working that extra margin into our lives has been a huge blessing in so many ways, especially in this season as we anticipate the birth of our first child. I love that my days now can consist of asking him, "What would you like me to accomplish today?", and that part of my time can be more specifically focused on my role as a wife, finding ways to bless and serve him. Not that I shouldn't have been striving to improve in that area all along, but God has really opened up some time and space for us to make that a priority as we move forward into this next year of marriage. It has been an especially sweet several months together.

I asked Chad this morning if he felt at all "itchy" at 7 years... He replied, "Not even a little bit." I'm so blessed to be married to such an amazing man -- I could not ask for a better husband, a better partner in ministry, and soon a father for our children!

I love you, honey! Here's to the next 7...
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