This man.....what can i say?  43 years and a few months ago (December 16th, 1972) i met him.  Really and truly i met him the summer before.....but he was so shy - we didn't talk much.  i laced us his boots though =)  But on December 16th, 1972, my life changed.  God brought our paths together and i can never thank God enough for the gift of Michael Lane Corley.  Little did we know 43 years all that God had in store for us.  Michael, you know me better than ANYone in this whole wide world.....you know my fears, you know my joys....you know my hurts and you know my favorite things.....you know me better than anyone - and the miracle of that is that you still love me.  You have seen me at my best....and you have seen me at my all time very worst....but through it all, you continue to love your "woman child".  I can never tell you how much i love you.....it just can't be explained in words.  You are such a precious gift to me and i thank God often for the gift of you.  We have been through so much.....early marriage - the fights........the bear skin rugs....the water beds.....the cooking disasters....the first apartment....the first Christmas there.....getting pregnant.....all the stuff that goes with that first pregnancy....having you order shrimp when you were through and i was not....but too embarrassed to order for myself =)  The birth of Shawn.....that entire day of labor.....the minute we became parents....the joy - the fear.....we were babies having a baby (but somehow, some way we did great....because Shawn...and Chase....are precious men).....late night trips to Braum's for german chocolate shakes after, well, you know.....and Shawn, in my lap, dipping his face into the shake....and remember the night we heard him crying and we went in and he had thrown up in his bed and i guess his face was planted in it - because when we ran into the room, he raised his little head and all we could see - two eyes staring at us through the throw up.  I just lot all the baby weight from Shawn and we found out we were pregnant with Chase.....not planned, but the sweetest surprise and the most precious joy in our lives.  Our first home.....moving into that apartment for a short time.....then our first home.  The night i woke you up at midnight, shaking for all i was worth, because my water broke - and then we laughed uncontrollably.  Dropping Shawn at my parents and the rush to the hospital....barely in time to see Chase come into this world.  Then there was that....Chase crying constantly.....3 days and nights in Children's medical....you at Roy's finding exactly what we needed to help his pain.....the miracle change in Chase.  Raising our boys....all that goes with that.  Highs and lows....joys and sorrows....fears and tears....precious moments with our boys.....Padre Island and finding out we had 3 more hours in that small van with 9 people!  Christmas - pee wee football.....baseball.....team mom and you the video and picture guy.....Changing from banking to video.....all the weddings.....raising teenagers.....scary times.....worrisome times....but so much fun watching them play sports.  Weddings, grandchildren....oh gosh, remember the time we brought daddy home from the hospital....it was mother's day....i can't remember why he was there, but we came home and told the boys "we will just celebrate another time" - and Chase saying no way....they were coming to mom and dad's.....And they gave us that book with "firsts" Do you remember the first time you drove a car....do you remember the first time you heard the Beatles....do you remember the first time (with the sonogram picture) became grandparents!  Oh my gosh, we all hooted and hollered!  Such a sweet surprise on mother's day.  The birth of Addison Lane...oh my gosh, i will never forget holding her for the first time and she looked at me and goodness.....i melted.  The times we kept her when they had to travel....4 months old and they told us "she will wake up for a bottle....but just be so quiet....DONT look at her or talk to her ....heat the bottle and she will go right back to sleep....Oh my goodness, that precious baby girl did wake up and those big eyes stared at me. It was all i could do not to talk and play with her.....and then remember.....we were shopping with Dian and Ed - i think we were in Crate and Barrel.....and my phone rang.  It was Debbie.  She tells me she "thinks i might be pregnant" - i am like "What do you mean you THINK????" and she tells me the tests came back positive....i remember thinking to myself that is something a daughter needs to tell her parents personally.....so i try so hard to contain my joy and i hand the phone to Dian.....she squeals when she hears and then we tell you and Ed and all four of us jump up and down.....no telling WHAT the people in the store thought.....Then the sweet birth of Avery Grace....such a little joy.  I remember when she was tiny.....brand new.....and Deb and Shawn asked us not to hold her a LOT.....that they wanted Avery to be able to be "put down" at times.....well, one night we were all there and they put Avery down for the night.....and she was really squirming in the bed and making little sounds that Dian and i thought might need to be addressed.  I picked her up, and i sat in the rocking chair with her and rocked her and rocked her......in walks Deb....i am CAUGHT.  WE are CAUGHT.  I can remember baby sitting one night - we were at Shawn and Deb's house.....Deb and Shawn had strict rules....to bed at a certain time.....and we let Avery stay up late that night....and you went to get ice cream for us.  Avery and i sat on the porch waiting for you to get home and we made up a little song about papa going to get ice cream and Avery staying up late.  It seems we just broke all the rules =)  That's what grandparents do, right?????  Dance recitals, sitting through heck to finally see the stars of the show =)  Our little stars......So many sweet times with those two.  Then the heartache of divorce - I have never seen our boys lower than that.  Worried this momma to the core.  Thankfully, as time goes by - Chase finds the love of his life and we get THREE precious lives in our family.....the SWEETEST time....remember the engagement?  Oh my goodness, that was so fun.....how i loved seeing Chase going to so much trouble to surprise her.....Meeting Angie....meeting Audie and Hay.....blending our families......God answered prayers.  Then Shawn.....broken heart, broken trust.....and our broken hearts because of the divorce.  For years we weren't allowed to mention Deb's name.  I prayed so hard for it all....Avery was caught in the middle.....and then, God's sweet answer to prayers.....Shawn was able to put it all somewhere....i am not sure where.....but he and Deb were able to come to terms and make it the best situation for Avery.  Both the boys have done what it takes (and Angie too....bless her sweet heart) to put the girls first and make amends.  It's the best thing for Avery and Addy.....I am SO thankful for Angie and the girls in Chase's life....i am still to this day praying for Shawn....and if it's Deb....i hope they both realize it.....if it's not, i pray for a precious Christian woman to come into their lives and share this precious gift of life and share it with Shawn and Avery.  Audrey.... the scary times with the precious one....SO broken from her dad walking out....all the hurts as we traveled the road with Audrey.....And can i say this.....how PRECIOUS is that sweet baby boy Matthew and the pure JOY that has filled our Audrey Marie?  Thank you Lord.....You took the situation and You made WONDERFUL.  Thank you Lord....this is back tracking....but the first time i met Haley.....it was at Lakepointe's fall festival.....she had been at a sleepover and was SO tired.  I was really worried because we were meeting our granddaughter for the first time.  I knew that.  WE knew that.  She was so quiet and shy.  There were rides....and we all got on a ride - me next to Hay - at the end....i got out, and i offered a hand to Hay to help her....she took my hand and never let go.....she kept my hand in hers..... my heart melted at that point and she was OURS.  Oh - then the sweetest engagement......how precious was our Chase as he did so much to surprise Angie.  Marriage.....Cancun.....sweetest time.  Then Christmas.....at the mall, doing Christmas shopping with Chase....a tradition.....and he suggested asking Angie to join us for lunch.  She comes into California Pizza Kitchen looking GREEN.....as we sit down, she sits next to me and Chase across from us.  We start to order.....I look down and see rubber bracelets on Angie.....HUMMMMM, i know what those are for because we just returned from a cruise...those are for nausea.....i look down and mention them.....she has their caught in deer headlights look.....she looks at Chase...i ask what they are for.....and then i tell her i know what they are for....they are for nausea.....Chase looks at Angie....Angie loos at Chase.....and i look at Angie......she spills " Mimi i am pregnant and sick as a dog" - SWEETEST time......Precious times.....and then Christmas......we open a gift and it's a football jersey - a little bitty one......it's a BOY!!!!!  Angie so sick....Christmas and pics of Angie so sick.....i remember she ate my guacamole like a banshee......only thing that tasted good....birth of our sweet Hayden.....Hayden MICHAEL....papa...that's YOUR name.  Sweetest baby boy.  Life goes on....Camp Mimi's.....Hayden and sandwiches cut with cookie cutters....Avery and Addy and the mall....crafts.....sleepovers in the media room.....Hay and shopping.....sweetest times with my babies.....all this Michael......We have SO much....we have SO much to be thankful for.  Oh and then we find out our sweet Audie is going to have a baby.....we have worried about our Audrey.....never seemed to be happy....not completely......but then Matthew was born.....and i have never seen such joy.....Audrey is complete.  That baby boy made all the difference in the world.  Oh Michael.....our sweet life......we have been blessed beyond measure.  I can't even tell you how much i love you. I look at you and i still melt.  I kiss you....and that sweet touch of your lips turns me into mush.  I think of all the trips we have taken.....Italy.....France.....but OH Canada.....i have wanted to take you to Banff since i met you.  What a precious trip.....i got to share that joy with you.  We have shared SO much......goodness, i am so blessed by the gift of you my Michael Lane Corley.  I am SO gifted with the life we have lived.  I remember asking God if it was the right thing to do.....when i married you, i didn't know you at ALL......and then driving around that day of our wedding.....driving around and asking God "what in the world am i doing?  I don't even KNOW this man" - and then His sweet answer to me on KVIL.....the rain blared....." My name is Michael i have a nickel i have a nickel all shiny and new.....i'm going to marry a girl named Cindy....that's what i am going to do!" - Words of confirmation.....but i knew Michael.....i KNEW..... the minute your lips touched mine.....in the softest, SWEETEST kiss ever in the whole world....i KNEW.....and that night....December 16th, 1972.....i drove home saying to God.....this is the man i want to marry.....this is the love of my life.  YOU were my gift from God Michael Lane Corley.......God made you especially for ME.  Our life, our love......just the most precious gift from God.  I love you beyond measure......i love you MORE than words can say.  My heart was made for yours.......My life was made to share with you.  I can never thank you enough for loving me.....loving your "woman child" - loving me even though you know me with all the warts and ugly parts......you see the beauty.....you see the LOVE......thank you Michael Lane Corley.....thank you for the lives we shared together......thank you for loving me in spite of me.....thank you for the sweetest love.....the most passionate love.....the most precious love i could have ever experienced on this earth.  I haven't even mentioned our eternal life.....our eternal love for once another......i am SO thankful that we just GREW together in the Lord......we met....we went into our spirit life the same.....remember, you have always said that from that first meeting.....the meeting on Vanderbilt - you saw God's spirit in me.....and you were drawn to it......i was SO far from God at that point in my life.....but God let my love for Him shine....and God let your love for Him see that love....and we met in the middle.....we were babies in Christ....but oh Michael....we have grown!  I look back at our lives and see God's hand in it all......He guided us to love Him more and more.....for grow in Him, more and more.  Goodness, through your cancer.....that diagnosis on my birthday.....through the year of trials and tribulations......goodness.....we grew so much in that year.....we realized dependance on HIM was all we had.  Thank HIM for guiding us through it all - for helping you through surgery.....oh my goodness.....that 11 days....brought us closer than we have ever been........drew us closer to HIM.......i wouldn't want to be any place other than by your side through it all.....and i was SO proud of you.....you face every turn with such trust....you are my hero Michael Lane Corley!  i learned so much of during that time......we both drew closer.....it drew us closer to each other but more than anything, closer to our Lord.  I love you Michael Lane Corley....more than any words can express......more than you can ever know.......more than i can even fathom......it's a love that passes all understanding....just like the love that God has for us and that we have for Him.......my love for you isn't able to be measured.   I just hope you feel it.....i hope you KNOW it.....i love you beyond all measure.  You are such a precious gift in my life.  I am not worthy......but God gifted me with you.  He just placed the most precious gift in my life on December 16th, 1972.  I will never ever forget or take for granted the sweetest present i opened on that day.....the gift of LOVE....the gift of unconditional LOVE.  You are precious in my life Michael Lane Corley.....I am forever grateful.  I am forever in love with you. You are forever the LOVE OF MY LIFE on this earth.