6 Years of Bliss

Six years ago I married my Prince Charming.  But the title of this blog is actually misleading, because the six years we dated were pretty great too!  That's right, twelve years together.  Matthew and I are high school sweethearts.  I knew from the moment I met Matthew that I was ruined for all other guys.

We met because my grandparents owned a lake house on Lake Burton in Rabun County, Georgia- where Matthew lived.  My sister, a friend, and I were hanging out on the dock one day when a small Boston Whaler zipped past our dock.  We thought it was a guy we had met at the local marina the weekend before, so we waved him down.  The boat made a u-turn and pulled up.  We were a little surprised to find that the two guys were complete strangers.  I became fast friends with the owner of the boat, David.  Labor Day weekend 1998, David invited me to go to his church's 'Boat Church'.  I was completely smitten with a certain friend of David's, whom they all called 'Cabe'.  As the last official weekend of the summer, and the last weekend of Boat Church for the year, the tradition was to throw the youth choir, and eventually the preacher, off the pontoon boat at the end of the service.  'Cabe' successfully tossed several others off the boat before turning to me.  He scooped me up in his arms (swoon...) and leaped off the boat. 

(quick side note- Matthew actually had a girlfriend during that fateful Labor Day weekend, so it wasn't until the following summer that we started dating...)

(another not-so-quick side note- When I was little, my family lived in Rabun County too.  My mom and Matthew's mom were both members of the Junior Women's Club.  They swear we must have played together.  We keep waiting/hoping for a picture to turn up of us together as babies...)

We actually got married on our 6 year 'dating anniversary'.  We decided on June 11 as our official anniversary because we went on our very first date (with the now Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Funk) on June 10 (we played putt-putt in Helen, GA and then went to a restaurant where I ordered the grilled cheese and a water because it was the cheapest thing on the menu.  $3, if I remember correctly.  But I digress...) and on June 12 decided to officially be a couple.  We split the difference and chose June 11 as our anniversary.  When we got engaged in 2004, I knew I wanted a June wedding the following year.  June 11 just happened to fall on a Saturday, and we knew it was meant to be! 

I have truly been blessed with an amazing husband and an amazing marriage.  Matthew gets all of the credit for keeping things running as smoothly as they do.  I will fully admit that I have a {slight} tendency to pout.  Matthew has a wonderful way of diffusing a situation, and is {normally} the first to concede/apologize/compromise after a disagreement.  I love Matthew for his heart.  I love him for his intelligence.  I love him for his sense of adventure.  I even love him for his stubbornness, and his need to be way above average at whatever he is doing.  I love the way he loves his family.  I love the way he loves me.  I love the way he loves Jacob.  I have always been amazed at the person that he is.  But seeing Matthew as a father is simply beautiful. 

Matthew is my favorite.

Happy Anniversary Matthew! I love you!