At the exact time of this post, I was standing in front of 100 friends and pledging to become one with Carlton for the rest of my life.

My immediate family- parents, siblings- have always been my world. The five of us have always had a very special bond that I’ve not seen duplicated. We called our family outings Fab Fives; as adults, we are even more closely knit than ever. When I was single, I imagined my spouse would be seperate from my “real” family.

Then came Carlton. With style and a genuine nature, he captured the hearts of my entire family. Then a funny thing happened: it wasn’t about spouse and family; he became a part of us and we became a part of his family too.

We’ve had our ups and downs. What marriage doesn’t? But in the end, we complement each other perfectly. Our families have said that we are both so lucky to have each other. I can’t speak for him, but I sure feel blessed to be married to such a smart, dashing, intelligent, kind, amazing person.

One of my favorite things about Carlton: he can make my mom laugh harder than she ever laughs with anyone else.

Grandma Harter said marriage is a 60-60 proposition. Carlton makes it easy to give that much and more.

Happy Anniversary!