Today marks six...

... wonderful years together and I wouldn't trade them for anything.  

So much has happened over these last 6 years.  So much more to come.  

And I'm so thankful its with you, Jon. 

I love you hun.  Happy Anniversary.

Can it be??

5 years ago today, I received the best belated Christmas gift ever. A proposal from Jon. I can hardly believe its been that long already! So much has happened over the last 5 years. So many memories have been created. So much has happened.

And I wouldn't change any of it. There is no one else I'd rather navigate through life with. I love you Jon. Thanks for "popping the question" all those years ago :)

For those that are interested in hearing about how Jon proposed, I've pasted a portion of the email that I sent 5 years ago to all our friends & family, to share the details of the big news. (*Note: Please excuse how "young" I sound in this email... because, I was ;))

Hey everyone,

Alright, so first of all, (in case you were unaware) I had been at home in Hepburn for Christmas and was there from Dec 15 til Dec 26. My whole family drove me back to my new home here in Chilliwack, BC because they wanted to see the place I had been living since May of 2004. So anyway....they were here and it just so happened that on Wednesday afternoon, Dec 29, we wanted to go into Vancouver to see a few "sights". But as far as I knew, Jon had to be at a big citywide youth night because of his internship. So I had just written the evening off of us being together and went off to Vancouver with my family. We went to the Lonsdale Quay (which is a very cool harbour side market type place in North Van) and just looked around at the markets and enjoyed the view of the harbour and all that good stuff :)

So I decided to go into this one store to look at bathing suits or something and while I am leaning over a rack, I felt someone come up beside me. I just thought it was my brother so i didn't bother to look up. But then they said to me, "Are you finding everything you're looking for?" So I look up and there stands Jon, all dressed up and holding this medium sized white cardboard box. Now this is the part that I have a hard time relaying because you seriously have NO idea how COMPLETELY confused I was. I just stared at him in TOTAL disbelief and could not seem to figure out that it was actually him standing there. I thought it just must be a really crazy look alike because....well.... he was supposed to be at the youth thing in Chilliwack. He kept telling me to come with him 'cause we were going on a date, but I refused to go with him because I didn't even think it was him. So anyway...I look outside the store and there is my whole family, laughing and smiling at me. Turns out that they were all in on it.....and then my mom says to Jon, "So what is in the white box?" My dad told her not to be nosy :) and Jon just replied, "Oh, its just a little treat for us later." So I didn't really give it much thought.

So Jon had had my mom pack me a bag and so I got changed into some dressier clothes and then Jon and I took the seabus across the harbour. It was INCREDIBLE because it was dark and all the lights of Vancouver were shining. We chatted and he told me about all the buildings we were seeing because I had never been to that area of Vancouver before. Then we got off the seabus and walked up to Canada Place and as we are walking up the steps I ask if I can see what's in the box yet. Jon told me that I needed to learn to let things be a surprise every now and then and that he would show me when he was good and ready. (Oh and by the way....this whole time I was COMPLETELY oblivious because Jon had given me the impression that we probably wouldn't get engaged til about March or April, so i didn't see it coming AT ALL!)

So we walked around the front of Canada place, with the harbour in the background and the beautiful Lion's Gate Bridge all lit up behind us, and then Jon gives me the white box and says I can open it now. I take the lid off and inside is a little clay man that looks just like Jon and he's holding a sign that says, "Will you marry me?" (he had it made while he was in Cancun in November). I could not believe my eyes so I slammed the lid shut and just stared at Jon in total disbelief. Then he got down on one knee and then I started to lose it and kept saying, "Is this for real!?!?!?" So he gave me his little speech (which is all a blur now! :)) and told me that he didn't want to spend another day without me and asked if I would marry him. I said, quite exuberantly i might add, "YES.....OF COURSE!!!!" and then we hugged and kissed and cried and it was simply wonderful!

Then he said that we had to go because he had made dinner reservations, and so we walked until we got to the Harbour Centre (a big tower that kind of resembles the Calgary tower). We took the long elevator ride up to the very top where we had THE most incredible dinner at "The Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant." I have NEVER eaten at such a fancy restaurant in my whole life and it was so amazing because the restaurant actually rotates 360 degrees every hour and so we had an entire view of all of Vancouver. It was honestly the most amazing night of my life and one that I will never forget. And the coolest part was how Jon included my family in the whole thing.....'cause seeing as I live so far from home now, they might have missed out on such a special occasion. Oh and in case you were wondering, Jon had asked my dad for my hand in marriage that morning at breakfast, while I was still fast asleep at home :)

-Bonnie-

4 years...

Today is our 4th anniversary. I'm unbelievably thankful for the years that God has given Jon and I together and can't imagine life with anyone else.  Its a pretty incredible gift to be married to your very best friend.

4 years ago today, we stood under a big white tent and shared our vows of commitment to each other.  We wrote our own vows and they mean as much to me today as they did back then...

"We've already been through a lot together, and I believe that God has been preparing us for this moment for our future. Jon, I love you so much and there is nothing more comforting and assuring than knowing I am going to be spending the rest of my life by your side. You are a gift from God and every time I look at you I fall in love all over again. You inspire me with your calm spirit and genuine care for others. Just being with you makes me a better me. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you in both word and action the deep love and respect I have for you. You are my best friend and I promise to encourage you in the hard times, laugh with you in the good times, and trust God with you in the times when we are simply unsure. And when life feels like too much, I pray that we will find solace and comfort in the simplicity of each other's embrace. Jon, I promise to be faithful to you and you alone, and may my actions be a testimony to the unending love I have for you. I believe that two are better than one and I pray that we will grow together in one heart and mind. I am so thankful for you and the man that God has made you to be. I vow to treat each morning as a new day to love you, the gift I have been given. This is my promise to you."

"We've already been through a lot together, and I believe that God has been preparing us for this moment for our future. Bonnie, you are so incredibly gorgeous and talented, your humorous personality, your fun laugh and your bright smile draw people to you like I have never seen before. A look from your soft brown eyes can melt my heart to nothing. I find contentment in looking at your beauty. You encourage me, comfort me, make me laugh and affirm me at all the right times. There is no other person I would rather have as a companion. Today I vow to you that I will always love you. I vow that my love will not stop at an emotion, but will extend into the covenant that I make with you today. I will show my love in my attitude, my actions, my heart, and in my character. I promise to follow Phillipians 2:3-4 and to put your needs ahead of mine. I promise to lead with a Christ-like attitude and I promise to not allow unimportant details to overtake the importance of our relationship. I will love you by encouraging you, making quality time for you and by giving you those timely hugs. I vow to treat each morning as a new day to love you, the gift I have been given. This is my promise to you."

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Happy Anniversary honey.  I love you.