Success

My friend Lisa's parents had this framed in their home years ago when Lisa and I were college chums.  I eventually bought one for my home, and my dad really liked it and wanted one...  I can attest that #1 is absolutely true - marrying the right person does indeed determine 90% of our happiness or misery in life.  The other 20 suggestions can be applied in the marital relationship as well, contributing to the success of the marriage. 

This was taken a year ago, around the time of our 10th anniversary.

I am forever grateful that I did make the right decision, and indeed regardless of whatever else is happening around us or to us, we have each other and that is everything.  I knew he was "the one", because the Spirit made it very clear to me before his mission.  I remember the unmistakable "burning in the bosom" when I was pondering our relationship as I drove down I-40 in Albuquerque on my way to school one day. 

That answer carried me through two long years of "waiting" for him while he served the Lord in Brazil, starting when I was 19.  We wrote every week (I actually missed one week in there - not too bad out of 100+ weeks) and were permitted to talk on the phone on Mothers' Day and Christmas.  Our love has grown exponentially since then, and I count it as one of the greatest blessings of my life, a fulfillment of my Patriarchal Blessing.  I also know it is a great blessing to our children, to be reared in a home where Mom and Dad love each other, and whose relationship is the primary focus of the home.

I've been thinking about him and our time together because today is the 11th anniversary of our wedding.  He wrote me the sweetest poem, as he occasionally does for such occasions, and set it to music in a power point slide.  I can hardly wait for his return in nine days.