Steve and I have been preparing some slide shows for the wedding reception, so we’ve had the joy (and occasional agony) of going back through years of photos. Despite my general skepticism regarding things like pre-determined plans and fated soulmates, it’s been hard to resist the idea that, at the very least, Steve and I have been traveling parallel paths all these years—paths that, once they finally intersected, would naturally funnel into a single trail we’d keep walking together.

Happy baby days…

Smiling with our big brothers…

Posing for the requisite Olan Mills family portrait…

We each cherished holidays with the next generation…

and loved our furry friends…

We spent time in the woods…

And on the water…

We rode…

And we ran…

And we found our happy places…

And then, at last, we found each other:

I’m not one to believe in some automatic “happily ever after” either—talk about a gloss on the good (and the hard) stuff.  But I believe in us, and our commitment to create a happy life together.

I’m so grateful our paths crossed, and I can’t wait to join hands and travel forward together. ♥