Michael and I met randomly during the month of February in 2003.  Neither one of us can remember the exact date which is the way things usually go.  Our lives change the moment that we aren't really paying attention.  I don't know that either one of us would say that it was love at first sight...but there was a spark that would be strong enough to bridge the gap between that day in February until the day in May when he would finally call me.  Part of what kept that spark alive was something that I wouldn't even be aware of until many months later.  The day after we first met Michael called up our mutual friend, who I was staying with for the weekend, and "pretended" to have lost his wallet in an effort to find a way to see me again.  It didn't end up working as we already had plans, but I did spend the day wandering around Santa Cruz thinking about him and wondering if I would ever see him again.  And then, I moved on...

Up until that point in my life I had been too easily prone to emotionally investing in friendships with guys who held no real interest in pursuing a relationship.  This left me feeling crushed and defeated to the point that I no longer put much hope into random meetings such as these.  With Michael, everything was different.  From the first phone call, Michael let me know how much he desired to have me in his life.  He wanted to be my best friend and he wanted to spend as much time with me as possible.  Not because he wanted someone to talk to until better opportunities came along, but because he desired to form a relationship with me that would lead to a marriage that would last a lifetime.  I never had to wonder  how he felt about me because he told me, and continues to tell me, every single day.  He is everything that I am not: outgoing, spontaneous, driven.  He also enhances everything that I am: compassionate, inquisitive, determined.  Now, nearly ten years later he has enhanced my life in more ways than I can count.  Michael may spend much of the year traveling the country for work, but I never have to doubt that I am the only person that he wants to come home to at the end of the week. 

Tomorrow, a year will have passed since we sent off our application to America World and officially started the adoption process.  Valentine's day will be one year since we were accepted into the program.  I didn't know ten years ago that February would be such an important month in our history together.  It it is easy to become consumed with the wait...especially knowing that we have several years remaining and there have been no referrals this month for infant boys...but this week as Michael started traveling again I realized something.  The longer that we wait, the stronger we are becoming as a couple.  Evey month that passes, we are closer to one another.  Our marriage is stronger than ever.  The first decade of our life together has passed by so quickly and that makes me want things to slow down despite the wait.  I want to cherish every moment that I have with the person who makes sure that I know how much I am cherished every single day.  And then...in God's timing...we will get to show that same love to our little boy and make sure that he knows how much we cherish him...every single day.