5 years.....

On September 20, 2003 at 2:22 in the afternoon I was on my way down the aisle...I was going to vow my love to one man...I was getting married....I had no idea what I was getting myself into....

Let me start from the beginning....

Six years, 8 months, and 17 days ago a new guy started working at the Jacksonville Co-op. I should mention here that the only place in Alabama that he didn't want to be was Jacksonville! At the time I thought his name was Matthew Krenshaw. (His nickname is Crenshaw and that is what I would hear people call him...when he would say "I'm Matthew Kay"....well, I just thought he was saying Matthew K.....hahaha...that still makes us laugh!!) So, "Matthew Krenshaw" was just a co-worker for around 5 months before we started dating. We had been dating for 11 months when he proposed to me on my 22nd birthday! (If you know me, you know that my favorite number is 2....yes, I do have a favorite number....it's normal...kinda) I had told him I wanted a new Bible for my birthday, so when he gave me my gift to open (which he had wrapped in green wrapping paper...my favorite color) I could tell it was a book. When I started opening it, I could tell it was a Bible, and then I noticed it was his Bible. He started to tell me that he was giving me his Bible because he didn't get to buy me one, or he couldn't afford to or something. Then he told me to open it....

Ok, right here I need to tell you a story about a piece of cotton that I saw everyday on my way to and from work that was hanging from a tree limb for several months after the cotton had been picked from the field. It had gotten hung on the limb as the farmer was driving down the road. Through any weather I would see it still hanging on. I would point it out when Matthew and I would ride by it together. I would say "there's that cotton, still hanging on"...."it has been pouring rain and it is STILL there". It may sound silly, but I was amazed at what this little piece of cotton could endure just hanging there above the road on that tiny limb.

Back to me opening my birthday gift....

He told me to open the Bible and in the middle there was a note from him and it said:

"Donna,

I'm not really giving you this Bible. What I am giving you is a symbol of my love for you. I place it in the center of God's Word as I pray that is where our relationship will always be. I hope our love will be as enduring as the material it's symbol is surrounded by.

I Love You,
Matthew"

Under that piece of paper was that piece of cotton and in it was the ring!! (I was blown away by the thought that he had put into that and how well it all fit together!!) By that point I could not contain myself and I was shaking like a leaf! He had knelt down by me when he gave me the gift to open...so, he would be kneeling when he put the ring on my finger and asked me to marry him. I can't even really remember if I ever actually said yes. I do remember telling him I was burning up!! Haha!! I wasn't even able to eat the wonderful dinner that he had cooked for me!! I was so excited!

I think we had made the decision before that day was over that we wanted to have our wedding that September. So, we were only engaged about 5 months. Everything fell into place though and that day came around fast! It was beautiful! I know that because I have seen the pictures and watched the video....even the next day I couldn't really remember anything about the wedding. I guess I was so nervous, it was like I was dreaming the whole time. Either way, it really happened!!

Right before we got married Matthew got the position of manager at the Pell City Co-op. After the wedding I transferred to Pell City and he became my boss!! We bought a house and a little bit of land at the end of January of 2005 in Lincoln and I found out on Feb. 11th that I was pregnant! (He says that was convienient of me to be pregnant when we had bought a "fixer-upper" I couldn't really help him with anything!) I worked until right before Avery was born and then I stayed home with her until she was 9 months old. I went to work at Deltacom on July 27th, 2006. We had planned on me working about a year and then hopefully staying home again. Well...on August 3rd, just about a week after starting back to work I found out I was pregnant again! So, instead of working a year I worked as long as I could before Raegan was born. I have been home with the girls ever since then!!

Matthew is such a great husband and daddy!! He always takes care of us!! He works so much for our family! And I am so happy to be his wife! Some people may not know all the things he does, but he is ALWAYS working! He works more than full-time at the co-op and comes home and works more! We have a deer processing business that is about to be going again for our second season. That keeps him busy around the clock in the winter! He does chicken house inspections and he does some lawn spraying. He tends to our garden and this year we had pumpkins and gourds that he had to keep up. With all of this he will still cook dinner! He bathes the girls, brushes their teeth, reads to them, changes Raegan's diaper, plays with them, cooks with them, and so many other things that I can't even remember. He helps so much with everything! I am so thankful for him!!!

Five years ago I knew I had something good...but I had no idea. God has really blessed me and I don't EVER want to take Matthew for granted. I pray for many, many more years with him and many, many more precious memories!! Thank you Lord for this man of God... my best friend...my husband!!

~Donna K