Sixteen years...

Today, September 11th, is a day of mourning and reflection, a day marking one of the most tragic days in American history... My heart sinks deep when I think of that terrible day's events, and all those innocent people who so tragically lost their lives!!

But today is also a personal day of celebration... Sixteen years ago, I said "I do" to the love of my life!! Mark is, without a shadow of a doubt, the sweetest, most caring, respectful, considerate, funny, loving, gorgeous man ever!!! And he is mine...

The day I met him was the day my life changed forever...


I had been married once before, when I was only 22... This marriage, which only lasted 3 years, was a complete disaster!! Deep in my heart, I knew that, one day, I would meet someone who would treat me the way I felt I deserved to be treated, someone who would love me just the way I was...

After my divorce, I shared an apartment with a good friend of mine for a few years. I decided to go to Cambridge, England for a three-month intensive course in english, and then enrolled in College (in Lisbon) to get my MBA. My friend and roommate, whose name was also Isabel (go figure!!), worked at the American Embassy in Lisbon. She would take me to all their parties, especially the TGIF's hosted by the Marines. I became really good friends with many of them, and it was one of them, Alex, who set me up with Mark just a week after he arrived. Mark had been assigned to the Embassy as a Marine Security Guard Detachment Commander. He was single (and handsome!), so Alex believed we would be a good match!! He was right... I met Mark for the first time at the door of a restaurant on our set up blind date... I was instantly attracted to him...!! But we were not alone!! There were about eight other Marines and Mark's Commanding Officer!! The entire evening my sweet man had to juggle being courteous to his boss and paying attention to me!! We had a great time, the connection was instant, and from that moment on we were inseparable!!! Mark tells me he knew, that night, that he wanted to marry me!!!

Mark's sweet, caring ways, quickly found their way into my heart, I felt like I had finally found what I had been looking for, and I felt like the luckiest girl alive!!!! When he proposed to me, during the Marine Corps Ball, all I could say was "...oh...my...God...!!!". But what he really wanted to hear was YES...!! "Yes!", I said...

For the love of this man, I left my family, my career, my country, but not even for a second do I think that was a high price to pay... I knew that, as long as we had each other, life would feel right and complete...!! It wasn't easy, but is was so worth it!! Together, through long deployments, numerous moves, baby after baby, life in London, life in Morocco, life after the Marine Corps....

Thank you, my love, for loving me unconditionally, for being my best friend, for treating me like a queen, for the sparkles in your eyes when you look at me, for making me laugh, for those long daily hugs, for being the best dad ever, for listening to all my nagging, for still calling me beautiful, for all the hot chocolates, for loving Portugal, for loving octopus(!), for letting me turn our living room into a flea market, for working so hard, for being "cool" with a rose covered bedroom, for your sweet kisses, for your sweet love, for CHOOSING ME!!!


I love you, and always will...