“Five Amazing Years”? … ”A Dream Come True”? …”I Love My Wife”? … They’re all true.

This weekend, I celebrated my five year wedding anniversary with my incredible wife and best friend, Kate.  We were blessed to be able to spend a couple of days off, in-between shows, in Charleston, SC.  While we had some trials to deal with, (like our engine breaking down as we pulled into town), it was a charming few days with great food, conversation, relaxation, and unforgettable memories.

I have a little tradition each year on our anniversary.  Every year, I give Katie a “Message in a Bottle,” by writing a letter, and putting it inside of an old wine bottle.  It started the first year with me giving her the option of breaking the bottle to get the letter out, or keeping things mysterious by saving it, and always wondering.  It didn’t take long for her to convince me of the ridiculousness of those options, and so I finally broke down and let her read a copy of the letter, so she could save the bottle.  Since then, I always create a duplicate copy for her reading pleasure.  Now, she has a nice collection going of cool looking bottles with thoughtful anniversary letters inside.  It’s probably not the coolest thing in the world, but it’s a small gift I will always be able to afford to create and give, and at the absolute least, they’ll look very cool on a shelf someday.

With her permission, I share an excerpt from this year’s letter.  Because yes, I love publicly confessing my love for one of the most beautiful human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing.  It is an honor to share my life with her…  

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I cannot imagine my life without you.  You are truly my soul mate, and I thank God regularly for bringing you into my life.  I couldn’t ask for a better partner, or a better friend.  I do not take what we have for granted. It is truly special.

As usual, I struggle to find the words necessary to express the depth of my affection for you.  You are truly an incredible woman.

Your beauty takes my breath away.

Your smile melts my heart.

Your talents more than impress me.

Your character inspires me to be a better me.

Your undeserving, selfless love is a gift…one I will never cease to appreciate.

It has been an unimaginable five years, and my love for you is overwhelming.  I can’t begin to imagine how my love for you will grow in five more.

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For those of you who don’t know, my wife isn’t just an amazing person.  She’s also an amazing artist.  If you haven’t checked it out already, visit her site and learn more about her work!

So…

How about you? How long have you been married?  Successful marriages are few and far between in today’s culture.  I’d love to hear about how long YOU have been married, and what your secret is!  I have many secrets to magic tricks that I can’t tell you, but these are the kind of secrets I think we can all share with each other…