I used to think that marriage was a torture device.  People only entered into marriage when they wanted years and years of pain and suffering ahead of them.  Masochists, almost.  I thought that I would never, EVER willingly walk into that. 

I met several guys that made me reconsider.  Some hung around, some I left in the dust.. but there were MANY opportunities I had to rethink my stance.  Nothing was going to move me, though.

Then, a man with soft hands and blue eyes wandered in.  His gentle nature and warm smile disarmed me.  There was something amazingly familiar about this stranger.. even when he was across the room and in a different conversation, there was a pull I couldn’t ignore.

So, as I usually did, I decided to toy with him a bit.

We had fun.  Dated casually.  And then.. one morning.. he made me coffee and pancakes.  While I was still in bed.

And I hate that something so domestic and mundane won me over, but it did.  I tried desperately to cling to my bacherlorette ways, but more and more.. I wanted to surrender.  I wanted to have forever.

Don’t get me wrong.  It wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows and kittens.  There were hard times.  There were tears.  There were silences.  But we got through all of that.  And I’m not so naive to believe that there won’t be more; quite honestly, I would worry if everything were PERFECT.

But in this man, I found something I wanted.  It was something I would work for.

He is an amazing man.  Sweet and kind and funny.. always the first to help out and smile while doing it.  He takes care of me when I’m weak.  He knows when to stand up for me and when to leave it alone.  He is precious when he sleeps.  He wakes up throughout the night, only to cuddle closer and whisper, “I love you, SarahBrown.”  He is a fantastic father to his child.  He believes in doing the right thing.

He is everything I prayed for when I was younger.  And I am the luckiest girl in the world to have found him.

Happy birthday, Bryan.