Shout-outs!

Okay, time for some quick shout-outs to wrap up the weekend:

1) To my adoring husband, thank you for seven wonderful years as we celebrate our anniversary today. We vowed to be each others everything through the good times and the bad - and I think we've experienced the whole spectrum this year. Never did we think when we said our vows in 2004 that God would ask us to travel this road. But here we are, in the driver's seat when many would have taken a detour or staled out. I'm not one for PDA, but I'll break the rules for some blogging affection. I love you!

2)Thank you to all of our loving family and friends for your support today - and for honoring our little Grace. Wear those Gracelets with pride! We're very blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives. We have such a great support system, so thank you for keeping us strong. And for allowing us our weak moments, too. Today, my tears were not for weakness, they were for awe. Awe in the way that you all remember our daughter along with us. A little girl whom many of you never had the pleasure of meeting. But you're still moved by her, and that makes me proud.

3) GO LIONS! Mark is certainly calling some shots up there with the Big Guy. Goodness, if he could be here to see THIS! A dedicated fan through all of those bad years, it is such a different football season this year not having him around. We catch ourselves each Sunday wanting to give him a call to see what he's doing for the game. And then the lump in our throats returns (that nagging, darn lump that just won't go away this year). Gosh, we miss you. But you must have an awfully good seat for those games - right on the sidelines I'm sure.

4) For a little humor - a thank you to Hallmark, for always having the right card. I never thought in a million years I would buy a card from the "Anniversary - Difficult Year" section. We've certainly kept Hallmark in business this year. So many cards received. It must be a record or something. But they do always have just the right card. So, "you're welcome" Hallmark.

Rounding out the post with a photo - cheers to seven years! (Ignore the scanned, grainy pre-digital era photo. We're getting old.)