today, I was nervously counting down the hours until Mark picked me up for my senior prom and our first date! That was a life changing night…complete with tornadoes! We had a wonderful time at the dance and then headed an hour away (as was tradition) to eat with a large group of friends. J. Alexander’s, yum! While we were eating we looked at a television and noticed that the area was under a tornado warning…yikes! We stayed put. I remember Mark going to his car to call his dad on his car phone (not cellphone…a lot has changed in 13 years already).

Not only did we get extra time to hang out with our friends but that night proved life changing in that I realized Mark was the one I was going to marry. I fell head over heels in love with him from that night on.

I also remember annoying my friends as we visited that night after the date…sorry Chrissy and Marla!

Mark thanks for loving me and putting up with me. Thank you for dating me, not just before we were married but all these other years too! I love you more today than I did on our first date. You are a wonderful, amazing blessing to me and our family. I thank God for you every day.