I’ve been following my joy around since the early 90’s, and his name happens to be Bill. We got married 15 years ago today! I remember the day before our wedding, he consoled me after I had a meltdown from being so overwhelmed. He then proceeded to iron my outfit for our rehearsal dinner and help me pack my suitcase for our honeymoon; two tasks which I couldn’t seem to do on my own. That day he picked me up when I fell, and as the years go by, life with Bill has only gotten sweeter.

After all the preparations were made and everything was set for our big day, Bill said, “Wait! We forgot something!” He continued to say that it might be helpful to have barf bags in the church pews because people might get sick from us being so cute together up on the altar. Good one! This young twenty-something dude was always thinking.

In our first apartment together, complete with hand-me-down mismatched furniture from gracious family members, we said that our marriage was like a “24-hour slumber party.” And 15 years later that couldn’t be more right-on, as we still can’t seem to get enough of each other.

Feeling grateful

And so this morning as I wave out the window to Bill as he drives away to work, my heart is full with gratitude. Watching him cruise down the road, I think to myself how cool it is that I married the sweetest guy: my best friend, my soulmate.

I married the guy who fixes my computer and sews a button on my jacket. I married the guy who makes our meals and builds our decks. The guy who can whip up a fancy new drink in a heartbeat, and the guy who watches chick flicks with me and cries at all the right moments. The guy who hides funny notes and pictures of goofy animals around the house for me to find and always smiles wherever he goes. No wonder why his mom calls him “Sonshine”!

At the end of a typical day, Bill comes home from work and heads right to the living room couch to meet up with me so we can share the happenings of the day with each other. And he listens to what I have to say with all his heart, even when it’s about the most trivial of details.

He makes late-night runs for me to Super America when I must have Peanut M&M’s. He greets me with a smile in bed every morning even if he isn’t fully awake, just to let me know he’s there. He chases me around the house and speaks in cartoon voices and constantly makes me laugh. He gets teary-eyed when I tell him about how much I love my work and how happy I am. He shares my dreams and my enthusiasm for life. He cares so deeply about me and my world and engages with me in deep and spiritual life-affirming conversations. He calls me the sweetest names from “Princess” to “Snickers” to “Daffodil.” He protects me and sees beauty in all things. He runs my bath water and washes my car.

Hangin’ together

We pal around together and love being at home, just the two of us. We’ve created a pretty simple life together…dreaming, visioning, creating, and being.

One fun memory comes to my mind that perfectly describes Bill. I made an S.O.S. call to him one day from my cell phone in a department store dressing room. I needed to find a new dress for an upcoming event and I couldn’t decide which one to go with. Within 15 minutes he was planted on the “guy’s” chair outside of the dressing room waiting for me to model each of the cute black dresses I had picked out. Yep, that’s my guy.

Bill helps me think bigger and believe in myself. He is the guy who all babies and dogs want a piece of. He’s the guy who cheers me on in following everything that brings me joy. With him I feel respected, valued, affirmed…and loved like crazy.

Together we recently created a vision board with our combined dreams and wishes for the future. At the bottom of the board is a great quote by Ginger Rogers: “When two people love each other, they don’t look at each other; they look in the same direction.” Ahhh…perfect.

Five years ago on our 10th anniversary we renewed our vows, just the two of us, at the base of the magnificent Redwoods in Northern California. It was so incredibly silent in the forest, that we felt compelled to whisper. Afterwards, I had a song all cued up ready to play for Bill in the car. Every word of the song still rings true today. It’s Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up”:

You raise me up so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Cheers!

So today I raise a glass in celebration of 15 years of love, laughter, fun, and pure joy. This world is a brighter place because of my Bill, and I am consciously grateful every day for the gift of being able to call him my “partner.” And it gets better…and better…every day.

Note: Wanna see a hilarious story from our honeymoon?! Check out Just Another Day On The (Nude) Beach. :)

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MICHELLE STIMPSON is a trusted authority on Positive Change and Joyful Living. She works with women who are ready for a change in their life, and she's the creator of the Positive Change System^TM - a step-by-step process which helps women make the lasting meaningful change they yearn for. Ready to take charge of your life? Go here to learn more and schedule a complimentary Get Acquainted call to see how Michelle can help.

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