Ode to Mandy

Mandy has done such a wonderful job keeping up with this blogging world that I haven't had to do much. But after such a beautiful anniversary blog, I have decided to dip my toes into the blogging waters and try it out. So here goes......

Before I do begin my "Ode to Mandy" I must confess that I forgot our anniversary this year. Well... maybe "forgot" is not the right word, more like messed up which day it was. And in my defense, Mandy did too. For some reason we both thought that our anniversary was on the 4th. So on the 4th, Mandy and I shared our congratulatory statements of love and appreciation as if nothing were wrong. We had planned to celebrate on the weekend because of school so that actual day wasn't a big deal. Come to find out, when Mandy was writing her blog, she wrote down the date as the 2nd. This got the gears rolling and she realized that our anniversary was not on Wednesday but rather Monday. So it only took me 4 years to forget an anniversary, but at least I wasn't the only one. Now back to the real purpose of this blog.

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It's hard to believe that 4 years have past us already. As I look back on it, I realize how fast time flies and how many great memories we have created together: Canadian trips, coastal road trips, Hawaiian beaches, Mexican fun and hurricanes, Disneyland, Dental school applications and interviews, and summer visits by our niece Sadie to name a few. We have enjoyed ourselves during our time together and hope to continue the adventures for many years to come. Mandy has been a real trooper following me with my dreams of becoming a dentist. Her love for me has brought a small town Canadian girl to a big city out in the middle of a scorching desert were the closest thing to snow is white landscape rock. If that is not love, I don't know what is. I appreciate so much what she has given up for me and my dreams and I hope that I can someday repay her for all the love and support she has shown me.

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Mandy is a gorgeous woman and, being a guy, that is what originally sparked my interest in her but that is not what prompted me to marry her or drag her to Las Vegas for 4 years. Mandy's love for me, her desire to be better in every way, her drive for perfection, her compassion for others, her love and devotion to her Heavenly Father, her sincerity and honesty, and her amazing ability to tolerate me are a few of the reasons why I wanted her to be my wife and eternal companion and I am glad that she said "yes". Life has not been easy with me being in school most of the time and now being very busy with dental school. But through it all Mandy has stuck by my side and lifted me up and supported me when I have been down. She is all I have ever wanted and could ever ask for in a wife and I am eternally grateful for her. Mandy, I love you and I promise that I will not mess up the day of our anniversary next year. XOXOXOXO