This is Sincerely 'Fro Me to You sort of-edition. I have no idea if Mr. Linky will make an appearance today. He is an enigma. (If he is elusive, leave your link in the comments).
But I will not be deterred.
As we decorated our Christmas tree the other night, I came across this ornament:
Our First Christmas Together.
14 Christmas' ago. Almost to the day.
After only a few months of marriage, we packed up our 6 boxes and moved (from our Texas birthplace) to Arkansas to be Youth Pastors at a church.
I could write a book about the 2 years we spent there.
It would fit nicely in the horror genre.
I am not kidding. At all.
But through the trials of church problems, parsonage living and meager wages, my new hubby and I learned to love each other.
One winter morning, we woke up to a soft blanket of snow.
And it was a big deal for this Texas girl.
Our parsonage was down the hill from the church (another blog post entirely!) and I wanted to sled down that hill badly. We rushed to the store, but the entire stock of sleds (2) had been sold.
I was so disappointed.
While I sulked only as new brides can, my hubby went to the library, checked out a sled-making book and did just that.
He handcrafted a sled out of plywood.
We bundled up and rode down that hill, taking turns, and trying it together all day.
It was perfect. Even with the ups and downs and hard work that comes with sledding.
As I held the ornament in my hand and squinted at the young couple in the photo, I thought about our hurried, complicated lives filled with noisy children and pesky cats. The 3 cross-country moves that brought us back to Texas and family are still a blur. We nearly lost our way with a difficult career change, a rough patch in our marriage and the dangerous birth of our last baby.
But we stayed the course.
It's been the ride of my life.
On the sled.
47 comments:
What a wonderful memory and thanks for sharing!
This 'Bama girl has N-E-V-E-R been on a sled. *sigh*
That was lovely. And I love that he made you a sled!
How sweet. Do you still have the sled? Thanks for sharing this special memory:)
How loving of him! That is a precious story!
What a sweet story. Thanks for sharing, Kristen!
What a precious story.
My post won't be up till later today... for now I have my "please come back this afternoon for my fro me to you post" post up, in which I try to excuse why I don't have my post up (much like "the dog ate my homework" excuse given at school) :-)
I think that is the sweetest thing that he made you a sled!!! Looks like you all had a blast and you tell your stories so well.
What a great story and a great hubby! Y'all have been married almost as long as us! Remembering is one of my favorite things about decorating the Christmas tree.
He's definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing.
sledding is a good analogy for marriage at times :) I love this post
That is a wonderful story - I love that he did all that for you ... love is a wonderful thing!
What a great story! It's amazing to look back and see where the Lord has brought us. Thanks for sharing!
What a neat story and a fun memory! =)
I love the way ornaments from the past bring out our memories! Cute story:-)
Kristen ~ One of my favorite things to do is unpack the ornaments. There is always a story. Always. Sometimes they are embarrassing. Sometimes they are tart. But always, always they are sweet. Just like this story.
How wonderful that he listened to what you wanted and then found a way to give it to you. He is a special guy for sure.
This Georgia girl has never been sledding either, and has never even seen enough snow where sledding would be possible. Kudos to your hubby for finding out how to make his bride happy!
I didn't have a post written. When I read yours I thought about the early days for my husband and I. I totally copied you in a way - different story of course. Doesn't seem like it should be THAT long ago.
Thank you for hosting. Be blessed.
Jen
What a great story. Any guy who would actually make a sled is a great guy.
I hope the ornament gets a special place on the tree.
He made a sled? Ain't ya never heard of slidin' down a snowy hill on a big, black trash bag? You fly, sister, you fly. And only someone who was born, raised, and spent most of her adult life in Alaska would know that. You should have called me . . . . .
What a sweet blog. Thanks for sharing.
That is awesome! What a great story!
What a wonderful story to go with your ornament. I love it!
A great story of love and perserverance. And man I am jealous. I want my husband to be able to MAKE a sled. Awesome.
In case Mr. Linky gets an attitude and leaves early here is my link y'all
http://marcywrites.com/2008/12/03/princesses-are-totally-over-rated/
That's a sweet story. Reminded me of my sledding days when I was younger.
Yesterday was my fourth wedding anniversary so this story touched a chord in me.
Thanks
That is a wonderful story to hear! Sweet memories. I spent all of my childhood in Montana, so I got plenty of sledding action!
Growing up in Alabama, I have NEVER seen a sled in real life, or even a flurry on Christmas. I wouldn't know what to do on a sled.
And that's why they call it memory lane!
That is a wonderful memory and I love looking at all of our ornaments and remembering the past.
Awww that was sweet :)
Such a touching, sweet story. I wish you many more years of happiness!
I love the first ornaments! I have 2 from our first year married and one for each child on their first Christmas.
very sweet. we laugh, too, at our first christmas ornament of our 12 years of marriage! he hasn't made me a sled though.......that is SWEET!
Perfect. Love it Kristen :)
What a sweet memory! I posted Christmas today too.
Looks like fun! And a great way for the two of you to make memories. My first thought was, that's not enough snow for sledding. :) Up here in WA we call that a dusting of snow. Glad it worked for you all.
You made me cry again!
That's such a heartwarming post. I'm a first time participant in your Sincerely Fro Me To You carnival...what a fantastic idea!
You can find it at wwww.ahappyheart-rebecca.blogspot.com.
I hope I did it right and followed all the rules properly. If I didn't, feel free to ban me from any future carnivals...
What a great story--thanks for sharing your memories.
I bought a San Francisco street car ornament on our honeymoon - my hubby thought it was a silly purchase at the time. Each Christmas since we're both so glad I got it!!
How adorable... Thanks for sharing...
That's one of the sweetest things I've read in a long time.
Ahhh... those Christmas's before children. I can hardly remember them... But I wouldn't change it for the world.
Those first you years are hard, no matter, no matter, the first years are hard.
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What THAT man built you a sled, I'm sure you knew without a doubt that you'd better hang on to him for life. What a honey!
That was a beautiful story, and this is my first visit to your blog (I came by from blogcatalog).
Sledding is such a tradition in my own family. My husband is always clucking his tongue because he can't find a sled from the store that is fast enough. I will share your story with him. (I'll be you anything the jigsaw will be runnin' tonight.) :)
Thanks for the great post. I will surely be back! -MM
Your hubby is such a sweetheart! You are one lucky mama!
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