twenty-five years…

Alright, you guys…here’s your warning. Things are about to get all sappy and sweet up in here for a minute. I mean, come on. Just look at those fresh-faced babies up there…gazing off into their promising future together. It couldn’t get any sappier or sweeter…amirite? Seriously, though. Can we talk about this title? Twenty-five years?

april 23, 1994

Twenty-five years ago today, at a little bit after 4:00 in the afternoon, the first man I ever loved…the man who showed me how to live life and love back…walked me down the aisle. As we reached the end of that aisle, he slowly let go of my hand and placed it into the hand of the man I will forever love. It was a day filled with beauty and hope. With sunshine and clouds. With hundreds of family and friends. And it was a day that ended with the most incredible thunderstorm rumbling over Lake Michigan. It was beautiful, dreamy and everything I had always imagined it would be. But it’s not that one day that solely defines this marriage. For me, it’s the 9,125 days that have followed.

i promise you this

For better or for worse. For richer or for poorer. In sickness and in health. Boy, oh boy. We weren’t kidding when we promised these words to one another. Our 9,125 days together have been filled with every one of these promises. The better, the richer, the health…these have been beautiful moments. Moments of pure joy that I wouldn’t trade for anything. The worse, the poorer, the sickness…these moments have been beautiful in their own ugly way. And I wouldn’t trade (most of) these moments for anything either. Because they are our moments. They have defined who we are…what our marriage is. And I love who we are. I love what our marriage is. Is it perfect? Goodness, no. But there’s no fun and excitement in perfect, right?

for real, though

It’s true. Our life and our marriage are not perfect. But they are perfectly real. That is another promise we made to each other that day in April. And that is a promise we work faithfully to keep each and every day. For ourselves and for our family. We promised to live a real life together. And to model that realness for our children. To show ourselves and our kids that there is beauty within the battles. That determination looks best when there is darkness to overcome. That strength can follow sorrow. The twinkle lights and the tulle. The catered dinner and the celebrated toasts. The flowers and the dance floor. The wedding. YES…all were amazing! All were unforgettable! But, the 9,125 days that have followed… That is real. That is marriage. And that is just as amazing.

from this day forward

We’ve celebrated twenty-four anniversaries. Not a single one of those celebrations have been grand or fancy. Not one of the twenty-four was spent sipping champagne or noshing on chocolate-covered strawberries. None of them have been spent on a tropical get-away. Well, one year I was out of state for work…alone. REAL. And I’m more than okay with that. Because they have been honored. They have been celebrated. Celebrated in gymnasiums…playing a little 3-on-3, boys v girls basketball. On ball fields…although, usually in different cities from one another… but, celebrated. Celebrated as we were cheering for our kiddos and texting each other updates. Celebrated in our living room with a pizza picnic followed by ice cream and a fierce game of Wii bowling. Will there be a fancy celebration to look forward to this year…year number twenty-five? I don’t think so. We haven’t really even talked about it. Haven’t made any plans. And I’m more than okay with this, too. Because I have even better to look forward to. I get to look forward to the next 9,125 days with this man I love and the family we’ve created. And that’s so much bigger than any fancy, grand celebration. I promise you that. For real.