This is my wife Laura. We have been married for almost 7 years now. They say your first few years of marriage is the toughest – that was definitely true for us. We had a rough start, moving to Nashville, starting a ministry with no help and living ten hours in all directions from all of our relatives. We had stresses of every kind imaginable. We also had three babies in four years. We now have our fourth on the way. I travel full-time and have a full-time located ministry as well. Suffice to say, Laura and I are busy. It is the blessing of my life to be so extraordinarily busy with my best friend.
In the past several years, we have grown closer than I ever thought possible, even as an anxious young man standing green in the front of a small church in Tampa seven years ago. Laura is so thoughtful. She rarely ever thinks of herself first. She is very patient. Home alone with three little vagabonds dead set on capturing our home by force each day is enough to make your hair fall out (believe me – I KNOW). She is always reading to them, doing crafts with them, loving on them and taking unbelievably good care of them (from making their meals to dressing them up so pretty each time we go out). She’s a great mom. She is constantly coming up with new ideas and creative thoughts for my ministry. From songs for worship to T-Shirt designs to reminding me to change my oil before long trips, she is the great woman behind this average guy. She is always trying new recipes for foods she knows that I love. She does my laundry, makes sure everything is in it’s place and even packs it for me when I leave for trips. She is extremely thoughtful. We moved to the frozen land that is Westfield and she bought me thick, warm socks. That kind of stuff. She is so supportive. “Hey sweetie, let’s move to Nashville and I’ll support us by singing songs about the Waffle House!” I said. She simply said, “Okay.” What she was really saying was “I believe in you Tony.”
We’re now in a new place; Indianapolis. We’re cold, we’re not sure where everything is and we are having to make all new friends. She never complains. She is able to share her opinions with me and it never comes off negative to me. She is human – sometimes pregnancy makes her do things she normally would not. Ask me about untimely tears of joy over random objects, language translation in her sleep (most of the time Spanish) and her serious Panera Bread addiction. She would never tell you but she was captain of her high school volleyball team, she can play guitar and is working on her first book. We still have our moments, our bad days now and then like most couples. But I feel blessed beyond belief. I have a faithful God watching over my life, I love what I do and I have a great family. And I get to go through all of this with the love of my life.
