Share the Adventure: Dancing Through Life (Happy 40th, Lucas!)

Our first date was a dance...at our church...for "couples only" (as in, married couples needing to revive their fondness towards their spouses). We were not, by any stretch, a "couple." We were friends, yes, but before that text message invitation, I would have never imagined that I'd be writing this about my turning-40-years-old husband after a decade of marriage together. While both of us were a bit nervous about that first date (for me, it was my first date ever!), we both knew that, if nothing else, we would enjoy each others' company. And after countless "dishrags" (as displayed above at our reception) and spins and interpretive serenading, many of the married couples commented to us that they enjoyed watching us more than dancing themselves. I knew I had found my dance partner -- as silly and awkward and quirky as I am!

That first date led to 17 months' worth of dates where I spent time in zany creative endeavors...

and quiet conversations...

seeing if this really was the man with whom I wanted to share the rest of my life. Back when we were "just friends", I had noted in my journal, "He is...so kind...to me." And that held true through our dates together. He loves Jesus and wants others to know Him, too. He is a gifted writer with excellent handwriting (which complements well my love language -- words of affirmation). He puts others' needs and preferences above his own. He is great with kids! He is thoughtful and creative and funny and fun! These qualities were true, then, and they're still true now. They were enough to make up my mind, and I let him know my "yes" in advance of the proposal.

A 6-month engagement led to our storybook wedding on 1-1-11 at 1:11 p.m. (See? We're quirky!). Our photographer told us that she'd take a few pictures of the First Dance, but that usually, it's just the same thing over and over from different angles. Au contraire. Not when you're lip-syncing "A Whole New World" while doing dishrags and spinning and twisting (in all the ways that weren't taught in our four professional dance lessons).

And now, ten years and four sons later, we're still dancing through life together. Our audience nowadays is usually a maximum of four, and our dancing is usually in the kitchen and not in some fancy ballroom. We're often in that married-couple-rut that we witnessed on our first date. Still, we dance. Still, we press on in a pursuit of holiness and selflessness. Lucas still makes me smile with some of his signature moves. And now he teaches them to our children. No, not the spins and dips. The faithfulness. The focus on others. The friendship. The fun.