I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason and that there is no such thing as a coincidence, rather there are miracles.
One of the greatest miracles in my life was being born just 5 weeks before my first cousin Markee.
We learned to walk together.
We learned to talk together.
We learned about dolls and Polly-Pockets together.
We learned about school together.
We learned about boys together.
And she was married just 5 weeks before I was, so we even learned about marriage together.
As the first few months of our marriages went by, she became pregnant, I took a pregnancy test that read positive, and we learned about pregnancy together.
A few short days later, I saw a doctor who told me I wasn't actually pregnant, and then we began learning about infertility together.
She felt my pain, I felt her excitement.
Then she gave birth. I was there. It was beautiful.
Two years later, she was expecting baby #2 and her husband was being deployed, while I was being certified for adoption.
This time I felt her pain, and she felt my excitement.
And that's how our relationship has been, our entire lives. We're not always going through the exact same challenges in our lives, but because we're best friends, first cousins, and sisters at heart, we go through the challenges together.
Now, Markee is a mother of 2, a wife to a man in a military uniform who sleeps thousands of miles away each night, and today is her birthday.
As a tribute to our friendship, and as a tribute to one of the strongest women I know, and certainly one of the best mothers I know, this week's MWMW is all about Markee.
Forgive the bazillion pictures, but I just couldn't help it. :) And please oh please forgive the picture quality. My scanner wasn't working so most of these are pictures or pictures. Bliss.
One of the greatest miracles in my life was being born just 5 weeks before my first cousin Markee.
We learned to walk together.
We learned to talk together.
We learned about dolls and Polly-Pockets together.
We learned about school together.
We learned about boys together.
And she was married just 5 weeks before I was, so we even learned about marriage together.
As the first few months of our marriages went by, she became pregnant, I took a pregnancy test that read positive, and we learned about pregnancy together.
A few short days later, I saw a doctor who told me I wasn't actually pregnant, and then we began learning about infertility together.
She felt my pain, I felt her excitement.
Then she gave birth. I was there. It was beautiful.
Two years later, she was expecting baby #2 and her husband was being deployed, while I was being certified for adoption.
This time I felt her pain, and she felt my excitement.
And that's how our relationship has been, our entire lives. We're not always going through the exact same challenges in our lives, but because we're best friends, first cousins, and sisters at heart, we go through the challenges together.
Now, Markee is a mother of 2, a wife to a man in a military uniform who sleeps thousands of miles away each night, and today is her birthday.
As a tribute to our friendship, and as a tribute to one of the strongest women I know, and certainly one of the best mothers I know, this week's MWMW is all about Markee.
Forgive the bazillion pictures, but I just couldn't help it. :) And please oh please forgive the picture quality. My scanner wasn't working so most of these are pictures or pictures. Bliss.
Happy Birthday Mark! I love you!
