happy 30th Stephen!!!

30.

today is my husbands 30th birthday and since i am so far away, I wanted to honor and celebrate him from ethiopia.  I wish I could be with him in person to celebrate such a milestone birthday, but we both know that there will be plenty of celebrating when we get home with our babies! 

In honor of his 30th birthday, I thought I’d make a list of 30 of my favorite memories together over the past 7+ years....

1. the night we met- having a dance party to 80s music, holding hands & calling my parents at 1 am to ask if they knew his mom (whom they went to baylor together) 
2. the second time we saw each other - staying up until 4 am sharing our life stories & then stephen telling me later that he knew that night he would marry me
3. all the late night drives stephen made to and from college station to visit me at baylor - and putting up with all my sorority stuff with a big smile on his face!  playing dr phil to my roommates and always taking out our trash :)
4. the night we stayed up until 2 am talking and he told me he loved me!  it was the night before christmas eve....I still remember my drive home calling my mom with tears of joy to tell her all about it!
5. my first trip to lake city, colorado - getting the snomobile stuck in the snow and trying my hardest to suck it up and be tough to show off for stephen
6. my first real valentines day - the surprise dinner at floyd casey stadium complete with my grandmothers china, candles, my favorite dinner and a poem!
7. the day we got engaged at baylor ballpark - he made me feel so loved, honored, and special.  I couldn’t wait to plan out our entire lives together!  he even thought to bring so many family members in to celebrate with us.  a real family man!
8. weddinggggg.  marrying the love of my life & my best friends and getting to celebrate with all of our friends & family is something I’ll never forget. 
9. honeymoon in jumby bay - when we got upgraded to a house on the beach!  I loved out little routine that we did every day - and just spending time together alone! 
10. sitting on the couch at his apartment in waco deciding on where we were going to live after we got married -- then going to austin for 1 day and finding a place to live!  we are always up for adventure :) 
11. right after we got married, there was a big ice storm in austin and we were iced in our house for 2 days - I made the first home cooked meal (chicken fried steak) and we wrote wedding thank you notes :) 
12. date nights in austin - trading turns planning them each monday night.  my favorites were always concerts at Antones or fun mexican dinners out! 
13. being a part of wednesday night matts group in austin & winesteins.....always so much fun being with friends...
14. hill country road trip before while we were engaged - the whole weekend was a surprise and we had so much fun!  the weekend ended with a surprise jerry jeff walker concert at gruene hall
15. going to pick up our milly girl in oklahoma & stopping at brynn and ashtons on the way.  such a sweet drive home with that little pup - our first pet together!
16. house hunting in midland and putting an offer on the first house we looked at (after looking at 15 more...)  making our house a home has been fun!  all the late nights painting....
17. babymoon to the caymans!  reading, relaxing, listening to god. 
18. all the conferences we went to together in 2011/12 - together for adoption, catalyst....we make christian conferences cool.
19. spending stephen’s 29th birthday in Uganda & having dinner at king fishers resort on the nile river
20. going to africa together for the first time - especially when we landed in ethiopia.  feeling that sense of giddiness.  and then loving big on the people of korah together!
21. watching god transform my husband into a ministry loving guy!  from the guy who wouldn’t go with me to help at youth group to the director of a junior high bible study.  he LOVES those kids & I love to watch him teach and lead.
22. stephen is the best uncle & we have had so many fun times with Rose - watching him swing her is about the cutest thing.  
23. new years eve parties at the elders - dance party.  wow.  
24. walking out of the Together for Adoption conference & Stephen tell me that God has spoken to his heart & he was ready to adopt!  powerful, tearful, exciting moment in our families history. 
25. all of our road trips - jamming out, telling old stories, me putting on my dance party show, and dreaming. 
26. I love how everywhere we go, our time is centered around where we are going to eat.  we have quite the traditions everywhere we go! 
27. I love every morning at home that is started off by us both drinking coffee & spending time with jesus in the family room.  
28. i love that jesus put the passion in both of our hearts for orphans, missions, water wells, and africa at the same time.  i can’t imagine life any other way. 
29. friday night date nights at home - whaterburger & a movie.  can’t be beat. 
30. meeting our babies together for the first time.  having tears roll down his face as he exclaims, “this is the best day ever!”.  I can’t wait to watch him be a daddy!  he’s going to be the best! 

Here’s to many memories to come. 

I love you Stephen!

Wynne