25 Years

How can I sum up 25 years of marriage?  When Kent and I married in 1995, I didn't really look very far forward.  We began our marriage in New York and I am fairly certain we were happy.  I know it was an adjustment, and we had to learn that neither of us was a mind reader.  Being far from family was really good for us; we had to rely on each other, no one else.  We had to figure out how to be a We, not an I.  Through the years, we've had challenges and celebrations, happy days and long moments when it felt really, really hard.  But life is sweet, love is grand, and Kent and I are both in it for the long haul.  He's not going anywhere and neither am I.  This past year has been particularly challenging, but as a couple, we've pulled together, made the Lord a more significant part of our partnership, and seen the blessings that come from trials.  I picked Kent.  He picked me.  If we could go back and do it over, we'd make the same choice.  Marriage is a blessing and we're so, so happy to be celebrating our silver anniversary.  Given our financial situation, the big plans I had hoped to make--a trip to Italy, or barring that, a three day trip somewhere domestic--have been put on hold, and we aren't really marking today any differently than we've marked our anniversary in the past.  In fact, we went to dinner at Bombay House yesterday, without the children, which is exactly the same thing we did last year.  Ah well.  Life is good, even without foreign travel.

Here we are, looking ridiculously young, on our honeymoon in Paris.

Don't we look happy?