How do you express your love to someone that you say the words
"I Love You" to every day? Does it ever get old, come across as if it isn't sincere, that it is routine rather than a sincere expression of the deepest feelings of your heart? Sometimes, yes, it can feel that way. That is why, at times, one must "raise the bar", to step out of the box and do something totally unexpected... That is what this site is for.
I love my wife, Kristy Michelle Stanford, formerly Sefcik.
This is a public announcement of my love for her to anyone who might not know already. There are so many reasons why I love her, which I will dive into later on... But first, how can I say I love you more sincerely... especially since we've both changed so much over the years, and sometimes the love that we started out with has changed and developed. I figured that maybe a trip through our love might help...
How about when our love was first budding, when those thoughts of something greater first started to blossom. The dating times were great and fun. From the first time we started looking at each other in a different light as I helped Kristy set up her speakers in her room, the electronic nerds that we are. From that point, feelings developed further at Kristy's family cabin. Dare I say, even
our first kiss...
From there, while enjoying the lovely season of fall, we spent nearly every waking moment together. Rollerblading, hot-tubbing, cuddling, dating with a book about marriage... we did it all. I, of course, remember the first time I ever said the words "I Love You" to Kristy. It was a Sunday, beautiful sunny day in September, and we had already gone to church. I was still in my white shirt and slacks, but we decided to go rollerblading cause it was all too nice out. We stopped in a park, and layed on a hill on the grass. As I looked at Kristy, the sun shimmering on her beautiful hair, I uttered those words to her. From that point on, there was no turning back. I was smitten...
Things progressed quickly, and thoughts of marriage started to creep into my mind. In November, we made another trip to her family's cabin in Montana with her family. It was Thursday, November 25, 2004, and we were all laying around the living room and talking. I was antsy, eagerly wanting to pop the question. I had it all planned out, but I needed to get Kristy, who was exausted, to come out with me on the quads with me. I didn't have much time, especially since the sun was setting. I also needed to buy myself some time with Kristy gone so that I could ask her dad for permission to ask. Luckily, Kristy was wearing white pants, which is not a great thing to wear when going out in the mud. Finally, I pestered her enough to get up and change. Also, as if it was a moment approved by God, everybody else got up and left, leaving only myself and my future father-in-law. Knowing that I didn't have much time, I just kinda blurted out, "can I ask Kristy to marry me?" He was looking much more shocked than Kristy eventually looked. He looked at me and said, "Really? Now?" I nodded, "Yes." "Sure, go for it dude." Kristy came down shortly after, and we were off.
I took Kristy up on top of the hill side that overlooks the lake. The sun was setting, but it was dang cold. I had hid the ring in the in the storage box at the back of the quad, hidden inside my gloves. I had to freeze my hands off coming up the hill so that I would have an excuse to go and get the ring once we got up without looking suspicious. Things were perfect. Kristy got up and was standing on the side of the quad, looking over the lake, and I'm sure, was freezing her butt of for what seemed as absolutely no reason at all. I came in front of her and looked up into her beautiful eyes (I would give a colour, except that her eyes really don't have a specific colour). I asked, "Do you love me?" She replied, "of course!" "How much?" was my next question. Her answer was perfect, something that even Hollywood couldn't have written any better.
"For ever and ever, for always and for eternity."
This melted my heart. It also has been carried in my heart and will always be with me as one of my favourite moments of all time. I dropped to my knee and asked, "then will you marry me?" She jumped down on top of me and we rolled onto the ground. We stopped, luckily, at the edge of the steep hill going down. We kissed and enjoyed the moment. We were ecstatic. Madly in love. And so ended the dating period, forever, and began the engagement.
Thing is, I'm still madly in love with Kristy, just as I was back then...
Kristy is an amazing mother. She has incredible patience with both kids and a sincere love for them. She does more than just maintain their lives, she enriches them. She teaches them, nurtures them, loves them, enjoys them. It is amazing to see Kristy in her element: as a mom.
I am excited to live these next twenty or so years, watching her love and care for our kids as they grow. Our kids love her dearly and I love to see the glow on their faces when they see her. They will continue to grow closer to her as they get older, and it will be a joy to watch.