The Year Was 2002…

We had only been dating for a few months, still navigating our freshman year with the kind of wide-eyed wonder reserved for those who didn’t yet know better. The world felt big, our future uncertain, but one thing I knew for sure, I was in love.

Samantha, though? She was more of a mystery. I was still figuring her out, still trying to understand where she stood. So, on her birthday, February 25th, I decided to take a leap and make it official. And, being the hopeless romantic I was, I planned not just one but two elaborate surprises.

The first was breakfast in bed. To this day, she still has no idea how I pulled it off. A freshman boy, living in a cramped dorm room with no real kitchen, somehow managing to deliver a warm, homemade breakfast to her door. I can still hear Musiq Soulchild’s Just Friends playing in the background as I stepped into her room, her expression shifting from confusion to delight.

The second surprise came that evening. I took her to our favorite spot—an old, forgotten “castle” hidden deep in Lullwater Park. It was a place that felt like ours alone, where the world seemed to disappear and it was just the two of us. Years later, I would return to that same spot to propose. But on this night, with the moon casting silver light over the water, I leaned in, kissed her softly, and told her I loved her.

And for the first time, I saw it in her eyes—she loved me too.

Celebrating the Love of My Life

Today, I celebrate the woman who started as my friend and became my partner, my wife, and the incredible mother of our four beautiful daughters. We are the same age—though I proudly hold the distinction of being a few weeks older, and we’ve had the privilege of growing up together, from college sweethearts to navigating the complexities of mid-life.

Together, we’ve experienced so much, joys and challenges, triumphs and lessons. A mentor of mine, now approaching his 35th wedding anniversary, once told me that over the course of a marriage, we fall in love with at least three different versions of our partner. That tracks.

The woman I fell for at 18 was independent, adventurous, and kind (and, if I’m being honest, just a little intimidating). She knew exactly who she was and what she wanted from life, and that confidence was one of the things I loved most about her.

She’s still all those thing, but over the years, I’ve had the privilege of discovering even more layers of who she has become. With every season of life, she’s grown in ways that continue to amaze me, and I find myself falling in love with her again and again. Over the past 15 years of motherhood, I’ve watched my wife’s caretaking, empathetic, and resilient spirit shine. She is, without question, the rock of our family.

But beyond that, I’ve also witnessed her personal journey, her struggles, her growth, and her emergence into something even greater than the roles of wife and mother. She has always been an independent thinker, but in recent years, I’ve seen her fully step into her own—becoming a guide and, in many ways, a spiritual shaman to those around her. She carries wisdom, grace, and strength in a way that continues to inspire me.

There is no greater privilege than finding someone special to walk this journey of life with. And today, I celebrate the one I’m most grateful to travel it with—my partner, my love, my favorite co-journeyer.

Happy birthday bae.

SDW3