I met Kris by accident in a parking lot.

I had no idea that night that my life was about to change. I had no idea the man who stepped out of that car would become my very best friend, the love of my life, my person. No idea that the man I rudely spoke to (of course I did) and then stomped away from would be the man who would challenge me and shape me more than any other human ever has. He would be the man who stood by my side as we faced unemployment for 9 months…during that time losing our car and watching our bank account literally hit zero. He would be the man who would make three cross-country moves with me as we chased after what we believed God was calling us to. He would be the man that would become the father of my children, the man who held my hand and sat next to me as we almost lost our first child, the man who woke up so many times in the middle of the night to care for a baby who did.not.sleep., the man who so often held me in his arms when I had reached the end of my rope and told me it would be okay.

He would be the man who would bring me snacks when I was too lazy to get off the couch, would consistently change the kitty litter box- even though the cats were the bane of his existence, would make dinner because obviously he was the better cook,  and would take a second job as a banker to support our family as we followed God’s call to plant a church.

He would be the one to show me what a great man looked like: a man who constantly was looking to grow as a person, as a Jesus-follower, as a husband, as a dad. I have known this man for 7 years and I have never seen anybody work so hard to continually be better, do better than they did the day before.

This would be a man who would exemplify extreme patience, humility, kindness, love and joy and would challenge me to grow in these areas as well. A man who consistently looked beyond himself to see others and love others as Jesus did. This would be the man who I would look up to every single day.

Lord knows this would be the man, despite everything I just said, I would somehow still manage to argue with on a daily basis. He would be the man with whom I learned how to forgive with, fight fair with, let go of my selfishness with…and the man who would walk with me when we both got everything completely wrong.

Kris, our family would be lost without you. I look up to you and admire you so much. Here’s to celebrating the great man you are! Happy birthday! Thank you for letting me be a part of your life and thank you for continually choosing to share you life with me.