Today I am Thankful for my Husband

Today my husband, James Hudson Brownlee, turns 33. Writing this post feels daunting, because I don't feel like I have the vocabulary or the talent to even come close to being able to express the amount of gratitude I have for him and to God for giving him to me.

Our story is an interesting one. James (or Hud as I call him) has been one of my closest friends for almost 14 years. The fact that we are now husband and wife came as much of a shock to us as it did to everyone else! We never dreamed that we would feel the way we do about each other, much less find out that we are indelibly tied at the soul. Hud becoming my husband is the greatest gift God has ever given me, second only to the birth of my daughter, Mackenzie.

I can remember first meeting Hud so clearly. It was the first day of drama class at Weatherford College in the fall of 1996. I was late because I had a history class that overlapped my theater class by 15 minutes. I walked into the auditorium with my boyfriend, who would later become my first husband. The teacher, Nancy, was having each person stand at the front of the room, at the foot of the stage, and tell a little bit about themselves and their theater experience. Hud was at the front, talking, when I walked in. It's hard to explain what I felt in that moment. It wasn't love at first sight, it wasn't even lust at first sight. The closest I can come to describing it is 'soul mates' at first sight. At that moment God actually spoke to me, saying, "This is going to be the most important man in your life." Being young, and immature in my faith, I was like, "Whatever, God. I'm here with my boyfriend!"

Hud and I were very close during our years at Weatherford College. We were together all the time. He dated my sister for awhile , and appropriately enough, our first kiss was actually on stage during a production of "Into the Woods". Hud went on to Tarleton State University and I stayed in Weatherford a bit longer. Due to a host of unfortunate choices and immature reasons I married my high school sweetheart in 1998. Hud was one of the groomsman, at my request.

As the years went on, Hud graduated from Tarleton and I graduated from Texas State. He dated different people, and I had Mackenzie. Through the years our friendship went through many different phases. Sometimes we were inseparable, while at other times we lost touch, but we always found our way back to each other.

One of those "finding our way back to each other" times came as I was in the midst of a divorce in 2007. We started hanging out again, strictly as friends, and then suddenly, something changed. We saw each other in a different light. The truth of the matter was that we were both completely different people than we had been at any other phase of our friendship. Cautious at first, we quickly realized that for the first time in our lives, we were feeling true, soul deep, love. Our relationship progressed quickly from there, because we had already known each other for so long.

Hud immediately fell in love with Mackenzie, and she with him.
He proposed at Christmas 2008 with a beautiful Tahitian pearl ring, and we were married June 13, 2009.


I am thankful for Hud for so many reasons. I could turn this blog into a book about why I love my husband. He is an incredible step-father to Mackenzie, and I am so grateful for that relationship. As a step-father he is kind, patient, loving, attentive, protective, an entertainer, and a leader. As a husband he is romantic, funny, considerate, and supportive. In our marriage he is a leader and a helper. He protects us, provides for us, and make our home a loving, warm place to be. He is my best friend. He is my anchor and understands me and loves me in spite of my faults and foibles. As a man, Hud is the most talented person I've ever had the honor of knowing. He's ambitious, strong, quirky, and sexy as hell. I am more in love with him today than yesterday, and cannot imagine life without him at my side.

At the risk of sounding corny, I never knew love could be like this. I thought this kind of relationship, this kind of love, admiration, and respect was the stuff of fairy tales.

Thank you, God, for Hud. Thank you for making him who is he and for bringing us together.