Promises We Make – Valentine’s Edition

It may have taken 42 years to meet this guy, but man oh man… was the wait worth it.

Happy Valentine’s Day to the absolute love of my life – Tim Kirksey.

It’s funny to think it was only a little over 3 1/2 years ago that we even met. According to our wedding website, it went a little something like this:

How did you meet?

We met through eHarmony. Yes, it actually works.

When did you first communicate?

October 31st, 2014

When & Where was your first date? We met on Saturday, November 8, 2014 in Macon at The Rookery. He ordered a burger and beer. She ordered chicken tenders and beer. He asked the waitress if she could bring a coloring book & crayons for his date.

And that’s what sealed the deal.

When did you first say I Love You?

February 13th, 2015. He wrote a love letter to her and handed her his grandmother’s topaz & gold necklace. In the letter, he expressed his love. She was over the moon!

When did you move in together?

May 13th, 2016. Nicole got a job with the City of Americus as the Director of Tourism. Tim invited her to move in with him.

When did you get engaged?

Saturday, August 27th, 2016. He surprised her with a 5 hour North Georgia Winery tour. Later that night, they were taking photos in a vintage western photo shop. There dressed in a cowboy hat & spurs, he asked her to marry him. (She was wearing a feature boa & bustier.) How could you possibly go wrong?

And yes, we eventually got married.

Here are the actual vows I recited to my husband on our wedding day:

 

Tim,
When I think of everything we have ahead of us – it makes standing here in front of our friends and family and making a promise easy. I know with you by my side that we’ve got this. For better or for worse, because we are not quitters.

We plan. We prepare. And we make promises that we mean to keep.

With that being said..
Tim, I promise as your wife I will do the following:
At the end of the day, I will always have your back. I’m fiercely loyal and will never make a decision or enter any agreement that does not have our best interests at heart. And with each decision I make, I promise to work toward a compromise with you, if the need arises.

I will be that safe haven for you when the day is hard. I promise to be strong, make wise choices, and speak up if we ever find ourselves in a situation where it would be necessary. You don’t always have to carry the burdens of our home. Just know, I’ve got your back. Through thick & thin.

I will contribute and help us build our future together. You know I was never looking for someone to take care of me or someone to carry the load. I was looking for my equal. And though I know I am capable and strong enough to make it on my own, I am also aware that I need someone else to rely on.

I recognize you as the head of our family, and want you to know that I respect you and will honor you as my husband. I choose you not necessarily because I need you, but because I want you. 

I promise to take my role as the step mother of your children very seriously. I will take care of them as if they were my own, and I promise to love them, cherish them, and be a role model and confidante that they can count on. I want us to provide a stable and nurturing environment where they are exposed to a life of art, music, theatre, dance, international cultures, and have all the tools they need to be successful, independent women.

We don’t know what God is going to allow to enter our lives. Whether it is sickness, financial loss, or some other tragedy – just know that we’ve got this. I promise to help you make home that is a sacred refuge for us, to put our little family unit first.

I promise to always be the eternal optimist that you fell in love with. I’ll always, always help shine the light on the good. I’ll point out the beauty you may have missed. And more than anything else, my one goal, each day, is bring more joy into our lives. And know that a lot of that joy comes from finding ways to serve you as a steady partner.

Just know:
I’d choose you:
In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.

In other words… You will never have to walk through this world alone.

And in the words of Winnie the Pooh – If I live to be a hundred, I want to live to a hundred minus one day, So I never have to live without you.

 

To the man that made our dream a reality and who continues to surprise me and love me in ways I never knew could happen – thank you and I love you.

Happy Valentine’s Day! May our first Valentine’s as Kirkseys be just the beginning of incredible adventures!