Thirteen years ago, it was a warm and muggy day in Mansfield, Ohio. Our families were busy with last-minute preparations for our wedding. We had friends and relatives in from exotic locations like Bowling Green, Ohio... and Peoria, Illinois... and Jamestown, North Dakota... We had been planning and preparing for months to have special clothing, special decorations, special music, and special food to celebrate our wedding... And it really did end up being a special, beautiful day!

I still remember watching Marci come down the aisle of the church, wearing a beautiful white dress and holding a bouquet of white flowers. I remember my brother elbowing me, in that moment, as we watched the bride -- my bride -- come towards us. It was quite the moment.

We said our vows. We ate a lovely dinner. We danced with our friends. And then we drove off to a hotel just down the highway where we stayed for the night and enjoyed another special element of the wedding celebration, just prior to honeymooning on Florida's Siesta Key.

May 30, 1998 was a very special day for me and Marci.

But of course, that day was really just the beginning. I’m so grateful for the role that my wife has played in my life. I have personally experienced the truth of Proverbs 18:22, which says that, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD." I have found what is good, and I am glad. Even though we've had our share of difficulties along the way, our general experience over the last 4,745 days is that the good keeps getting better.

We’ve come a long way in the last 13 years, and we still have a long way to go in the future as well... But I’m honored to be able to walk this road with this woman.