It's hard to believe that ten years ago, Kelly and I were married. It was a cold day in Michigan and we had quite a bit of snow on the ground. We were both so happy to be together, until death do us part. What a fabulous beginning!

I am so glad we are not newlyweds anymore. I love him so much more now! We are family now, we work as a team, we truly know each other. I never would have guessed on that cold day in East Lansing, that we would be living in Kuwait when we shared this anniversary. Kelly did tell me we would be living internationally at some point. I always assumed we would be in Africa doing some sort of medical mission work. Never the Middle East with my own Abaya!

I love you, Kelly! You have my undying respect. Thank you for giving me that pre-employment physical back in 1998. I praise God for bringing us together, the California dude with perfect English (HA!) and the small town Michigan gal who can at times speak through her nose : ) Our children will be such a mixture of Michigan, California, Missouri, and the world. Thank you for asking me to be your best friend, your cheerleader, the mother of your children, the lover of your soul and your travel companion! You are my hero, Kelly and you are will always be my one true love. Love you, Dude~

Hello All! On the 19th of February Kelly and I were married nine years ago! It is hard to believe that it has been that long. We met in the summer of 1998 and have been together ever since : ) Sometimes I forget he wasn't always in my life. He has become a part of me and I of him. If you would have told me nine years ago that we would have five kids I would not have been shocked. When we were dating and first married we decided six children was the perfect number. Over time though we have given that over to God like so many other aspects of our life. We have given him control of our family size along with everything else. So, where does our family go in the next nine years? Who knows, no one but God. He has been so good to us and I thank him everyday for Kelly!! I love and respect him so much! He is the smartest man I have ever met and I pray we will have a long life serving God together. I was drawn to Kelly almost eleven years ago because of his faith. I respect his compassion (his example is like that of Jesus) towards others, ability to make friends in ANY situation, his hard work ethic and his great sense of humor. I love you Kelly and I am so glad you asked me to be your wife!!!!! Praise God for these nine years. Please lead us in the next nine and beyond, Father God. In Him~ Crystal

Hello All! Well I wanted to share that today is our 8th Wedding Anniversary. Eight years ago today we were almost married : ) We got married a four o' clock in the afternoon at the Michigan State University Alumni Memorial Chapel in East Lansing, MI. It was a beautiful ceremony!! More importantly I married my best friend that day and he is now my family. Of this new family God created back in 2000, Kel and I were the first. Kelly is a wonderful Husband to me and father to our children. I love him much more today than back in 2000. It was true love back than, but it hadn't been tested by life. By adding four kids in 6 years our love has been tested. It is the kind that endures. A time that stands out most recently of the true love shown by my husband was after Hope's birth. I was escorted into the shower after delivery by the nurse, she than went to give Hope a bath. I needed help in the shower and to be honest I was a mess. I called for help and Kel came, helped me wash, rinse and handed me a towel for my battered body. He than helped me brush my hair and get dressed in my hospital gown. After that he made sure I was feed and seated comfortably. It was in that moment that true love washed over me like the first scent of spring Hyacinth. He was and is my family, he would do this again for me as I aged. God willing he would care for me until we both are ready for eternity. I am so blessed to have him, he is patient, fun loving, exciting and best of all he is mine. God gave me a gift that cold February day in 2000. The gift is God showing me his love daily through one man, Kelly. I am thankful every day that we are thriving, not just surviving. Sure we rarely have time for ourselves anymore, but this to shall pass. I Love you Kelly with my whole heart. But more importantly, I respect the man you are and have become over the past eight years. You amaze me, Kel!!! Love, Crystal

Hello All! Well today is our seventh wedding anniversary. Time seems to go so fast, too fast at times. We went away to Traverse City, Michigan for our anniversary this past weekend. My sister, Heather, came to watch our children and she did a spectacular job! We have not been away together for that long in possibly the last five years of parenting. We had a great time. We attended a "snowshoe stomp" and a wine tasting tour on Saturday the 17th. The snowshoeing through the vineyards was great. In the pictures you can see the Grand Traverse Bay in the background. The "stomp" was very neat as we snaked our way through trails in the vineyard at Black Star Farms. We loved the fresh air, time to chat and scenic views of the Grand Traverse bay. We had dinner out that evening at a restaurant called Boone's Long Lake Inn. If you are ever in the mood for good Prime Rib and you are in the area we would highly recommend it. Just remember at Boone's they don't do "Heart Healthy" options. Overall it was a great time for us to reconnect, laugh and talk. Kelly says I talked for pretty much the whole drive to Traverse City and it takes us over three hours. So needless to say I got all my words out. We women just need that sometimes. : )

Yesterday we had visitors arrive a few hours after our arrival home. My mom and her sister my Aunt Debbie came to visit. Debbie lives in Washington State and it was a real treat to have them both. This morning we all went sledding at our favorite sled dunes again. We had a great time. The kids didn't stop. We were outside climbing the hills for about an hour and twenty minutes. It was sunny and about 25 degrees while we were sledding. It felt so fabulous. I was even able to remove my gloves and hat. Fun, Fun, Fun! God Bless you all - Crystal

Hello All! I hope you have had an enjoyable Valentine's Day. Grace had her first Valentine's Day party last night at her school. It was fun for the whole family. They had cookie decorating, games, and crafts. The kids loved it and Daddy got out of work early especially for the big bash. Grace also loved her Valentine's Day card exchange at school. She was very excited to show me all her "goodies" and her cards from her classmates.

It is hard to believe that seven years ago tonight I was pulling all the last minute things together for our wedding. Time really flies when you are in Love. I remember the week leading up to the big day very clearly. Many good memories! We know we are blessed and we thank God for our marriage. God brought us together on July 16th 1998. How God managed to pull that off is a romance story for the ages. One would think it was chance or coincidence. For those few of you that don't know how we met, here goes : ) I was going to have my first real nursing job and I was to be employed by Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan. To get the job I had to have a pre-employment physical in the hospital clinic. I will never forget sitting in waiting room. I was reading some boring magazine. With the lame reading material in hand I began looking around the room. I remember watching the receptionist talking to the nurse. Then the nurse said something to someone out of my view. I could tell she was speaking of me. That I was here for the 11:15 am appointment, etc. Next thing I see is a cute guy with a white coat walk up to the desk and grab a folder. Considering there was only one other person in the waiting room and she was there for a immunization, I assumed it was my patient folder. Did I say he was CUTE! I looked down at my magazine so as not to be caught staring. I could see him out of my peripheral vision. He looked at me briefly, looked at the folder and than said something to the nurse. Next, he excited stage left. I remember thinking, maybe I will see him sometime in the hospital. After a short while the nurse called my name. Before I knew I was in a cloth gown stripped down to my underwear. Don't worry, you couldn't see anything through the gown : ) So I waited. Next came a knock. I said "come in" and the rest is history. I still find it funny that on that day I wore my San Francisco T-shirt that my parents had bought me while on vacation there years before. It was that shirt that started our conversation and kept it going for nearly 45 minutes. Yes, I was the last appointment of the morning before lunch. So the doctor could sit and chat. We even found we had a mutual acquaintance during our conversation. The amazing thing is I could have seen any Family Practice resident that day. I could have made a different appointment. I could have worn a different shirt. I could have got a different job. I could have worked at Sparrow hospital for years and never met Kelly. But that wasn't God's plan. I think as Christians we often through around "God's will" to liberally. There are a few things in my life I know without doubt God willed. One of those is my marriage to Kelly. It has been confirmed to me many times over. I went home from that appointment absolutely certain that we were to be married. I called my sister and mother that afternoon to share it with them. It is fun to think of those times! It was the first time I had heard the name Briden spelled five times in one conversation. "You know where to find me and my name Briden, B-R-I-D-E-N" Kelly said with a smile. Almost nine years later, yes I know how to spell Briden. Happy Valentine's Day!! Hugs and Kisses, Crystal

I am aware New Mexico and Colorado have been buried in snow lately. It is hard to believe that we live in Michigan though, this week. It has been so warm, today it was 47 degrees. Can you believe that? Nobody in the state is wearing a coat anymore. People have even cracked their















car windows while driving. I thought I had forgotten sunshine until I actually had to wear sunglasses while outside today. I think I would have even attempted to swim in Lake Michigan today if I had my bathing suit with me. : ) I even went to the beach to get some pictures of the rare warm January day. The downhill skiers and snowmobile owners are ready so bring it on. I personally love the snow at this time of year. It coats everything in such a beautiful white as opposed to grey and brown.

Kelly and I are going away for our seventh anniversary the third weekend in February. We are headed "up north" to some of our breathtaking wineries near Traverse City. We are going on a wine tasting tour. Part of the package is a "snowshoe stomp". This will entail walking the grounds of one of the wineries on snowshoes, of course. It is not sounding like too much fun without the snow. But if we have to much snow we may never make it up to the weekend of "Wine, Chocolate and Love" put on by the Leelanau County Vintners Association. So please pray for snow, but not too much!! God Bless- Crystal