I do: 10 years on. An open letter to my husband.

10 years ago today I said “oui” and “I do” to my husband in French and in English (just to allay any doubt!), so I’d like to dedicate today’s blog post to him with an open letter. (I will post about our wedding next week when we’re back home and I can access photos and – dare I say it – videos, for a trip down memory lane.)

To my frog*,

I can’t believe that it’s been 10 years since I stopped calling you my nearly husband and started calling you my husband.

10 years of some amazing highs and some scary lows – we weren’t joking when we said for better or for worse. The day we got married we were ecstatically happy, and after a whirlwind romance I think there were many people who thought we wouldn’t last, that we were crazy getting engaged after knowing each other just 6 and a half months, that 27 was too young to be getting married. But I think, 10 years on, we’re going some way to proving them wrong.

We were so happy then, but I’d say we’re even happier now. When it was just the two of us it felt that nothing was missing to make our life any better. Then we had our first daughter, L, and it was like a missing piece of the puzzle had just slotted into place. We had a ball the three of us, for nearly 6 years, until daughter number 2, C, came along, and our little Franglaise family was complete. (Do not take that as a sign to request more children please.)

When you get married, especially when you get married at a relatively young age, as we did, you kind of hope that your spouse will be a good parent and that the whole family thing will work out ok. For some people, sadly, it’s what drives them apart. For us it’s been the cement in our relationship and what has made us even stronger.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine – or dare to hope – that you would be such an incredible father. You tick all the boxes in what a dad should be and do; you dote on our girls, without spoiling them and they absolutely adore you in return. In addition you help me as an equal team-mate in the hard tasks of parenting, and I know from reading numerous parenting blogs, and chatting to my mummy friends that this can’t be said of all dads.

So today I just want to tell you that you still mean the world to me, far more than you did on the 2nd August 2003 when I declared my love for you, in French and English, in front of 120 of our family and friends. You are still my best friend, my soul-mate, the man of my dreams and of my life.

Thanks for the love, the laughs, the good times and for being my partner through the bad times. I love you now and forever, my very special frog.

Your rosbif* wife xxxxxxxxxx

P.S. You are also still very sexy and gorgeous, but I think you know that as I tell you it several times a day.

* We call the French “frogs”, they call us Brits “rosbifs”, and this has been our nickname for each other from day one and is even engraved on our wedding rings: mine says “Ma Rosbif” and Hubs’ says “My Frog”.