We're Getting Married Again (Not for Reasons You Might Think)!
We're getting married again (and it's not for reasons you might think)!
Brandon and I are celebrating 10 years of marriage this November and we're renewing our vows!
We're not doing it because wedding planning was so much fun the first time. We're not with child. We don't feel the strong need to recommit.
As we approached the double digit anniversary date, I always had the desire to go back to our honeymoon destination. Maui was gorgeous! We'd stay for 10 days and re-live the same experiences. A luau for dinner, oceanside massages, lounging at the pool, Road to Hana- Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes! Give me all of that! It was the perfect trip. Why change a thing? We'd relax, recharge and come back rested and more in love.
My husband had a different idea.
When we got married in 2008, I hadn't yet reconnected with my biological father. My biological father was a mere mystery to me at the time. He was a man whose face I'd forgotten and whose name was forbidden. And yet I thought of him almost every day.I didn't yet know that I had two brothers and a sister that knew of me, yet I knew nothing of them. I wouldn't work up the courage to look for them until one gutsy and emotional night two years after saying "I do."
(I shared how I found my long lost family on a google search on this earlier post.)
When we discussed plans on how to ring in the TEN year mark, Brandon suggested-
"Why don't we renew our vows........in Panama?!?!"
I listened intriguely. He carried on his vision for sharing in this day with the family that couldn't be with us on our big day the first time. He painted a picture for me describing those who mean so much to us. He eagerly listed out the family members that I only met eight years ago whom I can't now live without. He included my mom's side of the family that I've always known and loved, but couldn't fly in from Panama for our first wedding. And of course my beloved grandmother that I adore would be there."Your dad could walk you down the aisle," he cried out joyously, wanting to give him this experience.He described my sister and brothers being a part of the day- the ones who knew of me and weren't there at the first wedding.The more he described, the more I began to picture it.That same day, we called my dad in Panama and he was instantly on board.
We're going to have a second wedding to share this experience with our family in Panama!
We look forward to celebrating all we've gone through in ten years of marriage. Through growth, love, pain, confusion, frustration, and hope we still choose to say "We Still Do." This time in front of the family that isn't able to be in Charlotte, N.C.A handful of our closest friends plan to travel to Panama with us from the U.S. and we are so excited to share this special day with all of them!We'll be posting lots of pictures. I hope you'll enjoy following along on this unforgettable experience with us.