When I was in 5th grade I competed in the Foothills Elementary spelling bee. My dad and I studied for hours so I could compete. I memorized hundreds of words. I remember the morning of the spelling bee my dad wrote me a note on the front of an old T-Mobile bill envelope on the counter. He wished me luck and told me that he loved me. He also purposely spelled every word wrong closing with, “You got your spelling skills from your Mother”.
My mom and grandma came to watch the spelling bee. After the first few rounds I wasn’t so nervous. I knew all the words and I was doing really well. Soon we were down to the final three. It was close, the words got tough, but I finished the spelling bee in third place. I remember being pretty sad. I turned to the girl in my class who beat me and I said, “Congratulations, I’m happy for you”. To be honest, at the time I wasn’t. I wanted to win the spelling bee. I had worked really hard. It took my little 5th grade heart a few hugs from my mom and a few thoughts about how hard the other girl had worked before I actually meant it. I’m happy for you. An eternal marriage is the most extraordinary thing I have ever been a part of. I say, "I'm happy for you" a lot. And I mean it. Every success of Jake’s feels like a success for me. Every good thing that happens to him feels like something good has happened to me. His success feels more important to me than mine. I gave Jake a watch on our wedding day. It's a beautiful watch with a rose gold and black face, and a brown leather band. I set it to start ticking December 10, 2016 at 10:40 am. The very time we were sealed together in the St. George LDS Temple. It's been ticking through success after success since that day. Our wedding day was full of people saying, "We're so happy for you". And they were. Jake will continue to do incredible things. I'll get to see them all. In fact, I think he'll show me first. One beautiful aspect of marriage? That guy who does the incredible things? He's my greatest success. I’m happy for you, Jake.
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Maddie’s blog has been hacked, but "this hacker" has no ill-intent. The opposite is true. "This hacker" simply wants to shine a little light on the girl behind the blog, highlighting the side of Maddie that shines into anyone who is merely acquainted with this wonderful young woman. There is just one story I need to share. It is one of my favorite stories about this young lady that reveals her integrity and commitment toward those things that she loves. Maddie was dancing with a boy at a dance a few years ago (not the one she ended up marrying) and they were talking with each other as awkward teenagers do. The conversation began to steer itself toward a discussion of the inner convictions of both Maddie and the young man. After hearing her motives and thoughts about life he exclaimed, “I love your philosophy!” She replied with conviction, “It is not philosophy – It is doctrine." Even though she is small, she has never feared making where she stands very, very clear. If you have not discovered who the “hacker” is . . . then I will gladly tell you that it is Jake, the husband who is married to this happy wife. Corny as it may sound, the best decision of my forever was deciding to take Madeline Townsend Topham with me. I cannot help but absolutely love this girl! I called Jake during my break at work today. I asked him when his first home-run was. Without hesitation he replied, "May 12, 2008". I was surprised at how quick and specific his response was. He remembered all the details of the event, he even kept that home-run ball.
Jake's ball career continued this week. He was invited to be on a city league softball team with some of his buddies. I was excited to watch. I sat bundled up in Jake's jacket on the top step of the bleachers. I watched Jake break the only two rules concerning home-runs in men's city league softball. His first home-run sailed over the fence. He waved at me and ran the bases. Once he touched home, he was immediately called out by the umpire. Confused, Jake asked why and learned the first home-run rule. Rule 1) In this league of softball there are two home-plates: one for the runner, and one for the fielders. If the runner runs to the fielding home base, you're out. At a later at bat, Jake hit another home-run right over the left field fence. Again, the umpire called him out. Confused, Jake asked why and learned the second home-run rule. Rule 2) If your team has already hit a home-run, the opposing team must hit one before another one can be hit. Equal ratio. Jake jogged back to the dugout laughing at his mistakes. I sat on the bleachers grinning. My husband hit two home-runs. I woke up dreading the day this morning. With my eyes still closed I asked Jake for some positivity, "Give me a pep talk". He did his best, replying, "It's Friday Sweetheart! You can do this!". I had to tell him today is Thursday. His reply: "It is? I need a pep talk". We laughed. Though Jake's home-runs didn't count for his team, I counted them. I held his hand tight after the game, and I realized one of the happiest aspects of our marriage. Sometimes we try so hard, swing with all of our might, but something is just off. We don't know the rules. Efforts aren't enough. The timing is wrong. But even when it doesn't count for the rest of the world, when the umpire calls me out, I still have a big smile waiting for me on the bleachers. It counts to Jake. That's why I'm so happy. This week was my first birthday as a newlywed. Birthdays have a funny way of pulling us in different directions. On one hand you remember the past birthdays, the events that led you to this new, older year. On the other hand you look forward to all of the birthdays you still have ahead. I felt that pull this week. I kept remembering that bike birthday. Five or six years old feels a lot like twenty. I feel young, inexperienced, but excited and ready. In some aspects getting married makes me feel like I've tipped over into the gravel on my new pink bike, and like my five or six year old bike experiences, I have little interest in getting back up. The difference between five or six and twenty, is Jake. He waits to pull me to my feet, wipe the gravel off my hands, and the dust off my Old Navy Rockstar jeans. As you might remember, Jake brought home a little blue bike with green wheels last week. It's new but the frame was a little beat up, and the spokes were dusty from being on the shelf so long. The stickers were peeling off, but I was happy. I thought the surprises were over. My Sweetheart gave that little bike a makeover. He carefully took the bike apart, sanded it down, and painted each piece. It was a time consuming project, a little harder than I think he thought at first, but he never complained. He just figured it out. And he figured it out with his big orbit commercial smile on his face. When the bike was all ready to go, Jake scheduled me a photo shoot with his sister Daisy. He said he needed some cute pictures of me and his project. I have a new bike birthday to look back on. We can learn a lot from our bikes. I rode mine to work today and parked it outside. I put the kickstand up and stood a few steps away. I was just looking at it. My husband is willing to give me the world. Not only that, but he's willing to change it into something sweeter if he can. I’m looking forward to the next twenty birthdays with him, and the twenty after that. I love my husband. I love my bike. I’ll keep pedaling with him. I think that’s how I’ll stay this happy. |
AuthorMy name is Maddie Townsend Topham and I am a happy wife! Archives
November 2022
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