Happy Anniversary, numero dos

Today, Kenyon and I have been married two years. They sure have gone fast! It has been a good two years. I am in Africa currently so we could not celebrate today, but he gave me the sweetest card, hidden with a thoughtful gift where he knew I would find it while packing. What a man! The beauty of having two weddings is you can pick when to celebrate. So, for our second wedding anniversary we will celebrate on the date of our second wedding (mostly because I will be in the country then). We did get a chance to do our top 10 list for the year and here it is:

10. Kenyon got an International drivers licence and Sheri got her second, second passport (I have two passports and one recently expired)

9. Kenyon being deployed for disaster response to Haiti

8. singing songs and playing games with the kids in Lesotho

7. our photo session on the beach in the outer banks of North Carolina

6. the Whincop's coming to visit and our river rafting trip with them

5. attending Reverend Billy's 90th birthday party at the most beautiful hotel Kenyon and I have ever stayed at, it was like a real life castle in West Virginia

4. Kenyon completed his EMT basic course and become a certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), he then completed the EMT intermediate and began clinical rotations, he completed disaster response training and became certified in International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) - my husband found a field of work that interests him!

3. speaking at the church in Kansas City and having our first visit with family and friends there since or move to North Carolina

2. eating dinner at Nelson Mandela square in Johannesburg, South Africa and Kenyon eating the largest plate of ribs we've ever seen

The number one memory from our second year of marriage is...wait for it!

1. the cruise we took to see my brother and Kenyon getting his haircut in Jamaica

Interesting International Facts

Did you know?

In Ukraine, there are lots of American movies and television shows available, but the English is hard to hear with Russian or Ukrainian dubbed over it. Yes, they have both audio tracks running at the same time. I asked one of the girls who is American, but grew up in the soviet republics, “is it confusing to hear both languages?”

She said, “Yes, I have to pick one track to listen to or I don’t actually understand anything.”

Did you know?

I am coming to believe that the universal word for tea is “chai. ” It works in Africa, India, Russia and America. When traveling, ask for chai and I bet you will get some variety of tea.

radio interview

earlier this week I was interviewed for a local radio program. they have a series called Go MAD (Make a Difference). I was asked to speak on behalf of our department. the interview was about 10 minutes long and they created 5 one-minute segments from the conversation. one of my team members told me she heard it on the radio on her way to work and started yelling Woo-hoo!

if you would like to hear the radio interviews you can check it out online at: http://www.wmit.org/ministry/go_mad.html

I think this the first time I was the subject of a radio interview. the morning we did this I had arrived around midnight from Ukraine, spent a few hours in a hotel and then left at 6 am from Charlotte for work. I was sick and feeling the jet lag like nobodies business. it is a very good thing this was a radio interview and not a TV interview!

Wonders of the World Wide Web

I had a follow-up to today's post. When I opened up my personal email account I had an email from the author - no joke. The subject line was simply "Thank You" and the message read:

Sheri -
What a delight to see your kind comments on your blog re: my book, "Your Man Is Wonderful." I am honored and thrilled.Your mission to help overcome poverty and disease is truly inspiring. It is heartwarming to find a fellow-traveler in life’s journey—always looking for ways to help people lead healthier, happier lives.
Best wishes for continued success in your efforts -
Blessings,
Noelle

How unexpected! So, she doesn't just preach appreciation, she practices it too.

The world is definitely smaller now that we have the www!

just read: your man is wonderful...

One day I was in a hotel room somewhere (honestly, I can't remember my location) and I heard an author talking about her new book. It was about building a lasting and loving marriage relationship. Kenyon and I have the best relationship I've ever been a part of, but I want to keep it strong for a lifetime so I'm always interested in learning how to do that.

the book is called - your man is wonderful: how to appreciate your partner, romance your differences and love the one you've got. You can read about it here. the author states:

Here's a secret about your man: He wants to please you. He wants to be your night in shining armor. He wants to see the smile on your face that tells him he's worthy. He wants to be your wonderful man.

I asked Kenyon, the man whose opinion matters in my life, if this statement was true of men. He said, "yes, absolutely." Really? I imagine every woman wants those things too.

So, what does Dr. Nelson recommend to build that kind of relationship? Appreciation, plain and simple. Sounds easy, but anyone whose been married for any amount of time knows it is not. I try not to nag, but I am certainly guilty of taking my husband's good deeds for granted. Since reading the book, I've been trying to be more appreciative of all the good Kenyon brings to my life.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a strong, satisfying marriage relationship.