Dec 4, 1999: The Start of our Family Adventure!

Where were you ten years ago? I was busy marrying the love of my life , my partner in this exciting journey, Jacalyn. In many ways, it's hard to believe that this was 10 years ago. In other ways, it's astounding the things we've done, seen and experienced in those 10 years.

I remember that morning being all kinds of busy. People were running to and fro getting ready for the big event. On Jaci's end, there was some problem with the crazed florist and the late delivery of the flowers. It was December in Lancaster, PA and yet it was a beautiful sunny and warm day.

I remember how special the day was to be in one of our favorite getaway places, a place that had such sentimental value to both of our families growing up. Jaci and her family had spent years coming to Willow Valley and enjoying the beautiful simplicity of the land of the Amish. Meanwhile, my own family would spent years coming to Lancaster at Christmas time to ride the trains and take in God's splendor of the fields and hillside of Lancaster. On December 4, 1999, both of our families converged on Willow Valley for a beautiful and deeply meaningful day.

I remember waiting in the "groom's room" in the front of the Chapel. I remember Pastor Jack Hamilton (my pastor as I was a child, a man who oozed the joy of the Lord and who truly demonstrated to me what power, freedom and joy can be found in Christ) was his usual jovial self. He kept repeating that if I changed my mind, he had a car out in the parking lot running. It was such a blessing to have Pastor Jack be part of my ceremony for all that he meant to my family personally. He passed away to be with the Lord one year later, so it was truly a blessing that he could join us for this special day. On our wedding video, Jack, ever the jokester, can be seen telling us that there "was a problem with our wedding certificate" and that he's sure it could all be fixed later. He must be making a lot of heaven's citizens laugh right now.

When our service began, it was truly special to have the 4Him song "Love Finds You" played as the grandparents entered the chapel. Of course, it would have been nice if they played the whole song to get the full effect, but oh well. The song was our way of incorporating all of our grandparents in the ceremony. Only my Nanny & Pop-Pop on the Hughes side and Grandpa Pupchik could join us for the special day. My mom's parents had passed away, as had Grandpa Taylor and Grandma Pupchik. Grandma Taylor was suffering from Alzheimer's and thus was unable to join us that day. Grandma Pupchik was still around when we got engaged, and we were able to visit her and tell her about our engagement. Ironically, when we shared the news, it was Grandpa Pupchik that scoffed at the idea that he'd be able to endure the trip to Lancaster for the big day. Grandma Pupchik wanted very much to be there, and as she slowly lost her battle to cancer, she was able to attend a friend's wedding that Jaci was in so that she "could see Jaci going down the aisle." Jaci was by Grandma Pupchik's side as she left this world for a better one. Grandma Taylor was such a great woman of God (and from what I hear she would have loved chatting with me about politics.) She had such a special bond with Jaci and would be so proud of the woman Jaci is today. She often told Jaci that as long as Jaci was in this world, Grandma Taylor would still be here because they were so much alike. Her influence on her granddaughter's life has paid dividends for our own children and beyond.

Our grandparents were such a part of our life, that the song celebrated their lives and love for us and reiterated that we remembered them. Grandpa Pupchik was able to pray at the reception later, and it demonstrated his sweet emotional side. Grandpa Pupchik has since gone on to be with the Lord (and his wife) as well. My grandparents were able to see their first grandchild's wedding. It is such a blessing to be able to see those two on the wedding video as Pop-Pop Hughes passed away in April 2001, just months after the birth of his first great-grandson. As with Grandma Pupchik and Jaci, I was able to be at his side as his peacefully slipped from this world and into the arms of God.

Having young Ki-Lee ring the bell and start the ceremony was precious. Having our parents there together, beaming over their children was such a blessing. We've been blessed with some very generous and very devoted parents and their influence in our upbringing has dramatically shaped who we are as parents and as a husband and wife team! My parents have viewed Jaci as their own daughter, finally able to have a girl in the family, and have demonstrated true sacrificial giving in helping our young family make ends meet. Jaci's Mom treated us to our first Disney World experience and has really been a support and dear friend for Jaci. Jaci's Dad graciously allowed us to move in to his much larger house 3 years ago and blessed us with a nice place to live.

During the ceremony, Jaci looked radiant. The sun began shining through the stained glass window before us and illuminated the wedding party in what seemed like the glory of the Lord. During some of the music, Jaci and I stood there holding hands, talking of the future, and enjoying the moment. Pastor Jerry Ruff and Pastor Jack officiated the wedding and before we knew it, the ceremony was over. When the time came for the kiss, Jaci was nervous that they might forget so she kept reminding him to say it. Jerry laughed and told me to kiss my bride. It was a moment worthy of a hollywood movie. As I dipped my lady dramatically to launch into the kiss, the wedding party held mistletoe above our heads and the chapel erupted in applause and laughter. Afterwards, we danced and bounced our way out of the chapel to the up-beat "Jingle Bell Rock."

After posing for some pictures outside in the glorious spring-like temperatures, we entered our reception. It was a whirlwind of activity as we entered and did our much-rehearsed dance to Celine Dion's "Prayer." We also had the wedding party join us for a Christmas waltz, where our video reveals quite the scowl from Jaci's sister Lauren. This many years later, we still don't know why she gave her newly married sister the glare of death. Later in the ceremony, Jaci danced to "Butterfly Kisses" with her Dad and I danced with my Mom to "Because You Loved Me."

The reception was over before we knew it. Santa even made an appearance at the reception to pose with pictures with the new happy couple. After everything was over, we snuck out to a smorgasbord dinner later in the evening (because in our haste to get around to as many people as possible at the reception, we had hardly eaten any dinner!)

It was a tremendous experience and soon we were off on our honeymoon cruise! We had such fun on our (so far) one and only cruise experience. We swam with Sting Rays in Grand Cayman, visited the Mayan ruins in Cozumel, Mexico, and toured the French Quarter of New Orleans.

In the decade since this special time, so much has happened. Less than one year after the big day, we became parents for the first time as our boy Noah was born on November 28, 2000. We had our daughter Reagan on June 20, 2005, and our "baby son" Jackson on November 29, 2006. We've moved 3 different times, and have another move on the horizon in 2010. We have visited Guatemala twice together, snuck away to Niagara Falls, returned to Willow Valley many times, visited Atlanta twice, enjoyed summer trips to the Jersey shore, and even this year finally made it to Disney World!

As for Jaci, ten years later, she is still the fun-loving whimsical girl that I married, but she has grown tremendously. Her wisdom and common sense have grounded me in times of uncertainty, and her steadfast support for me and the kids has really been the blessing and treasure of a lifetime. Jaci and I are so alike that we are content to just spend our evenings in together. We make each other laugh and share a love of adventure (and television!) The young untested innocent girl of 1999 has blossomed into a mature, wonder-woman of a wife and mother in the ten years since our big day. Jaci's flexibility and self-sacrifice have made her a model mother for our 3 kids and a spark of excitement to everyone who knows her.

When God put us together, He really created a solid team. We complement each other and share the same passions and outlook in life. We both are a little "fly by the seat of your pants" and "don't miss a single moment" kind of people. Some of our favorite memories have been what would be to other folks seemingly insignificant everyday chores, that we turn into something whimsical and fun. We often say that we are in the "non-elegant" stage of life, in that we aren't fancy, and don't pretend to be. Our house is "lived in" and we love life's simple pleasures.

Our life so far has been defined by laughter and fun. Something as simple as a trip to the store turns into a fun adventure when we are together. 2010 promises to be a big year for our family with another move on the horizon and new adventures for our family to embark on. The first ten years of this journey have been amazing, and it will only get better from here.