28 years ago today Chris and I were married.  It has been a fabulous 28 years.  Not, mind you, without the usual challenges and life dramas but through it all Chris and I have been blessed with the ability to talk to one another and get through whatever the hurdle is.  One thing has always remained strong and that is our love and respect for one another.  I know that not everyone can say that they have experienced the same in their lives but for us it has been easy going for the marriage aspect of it.  Maybe it is because we both had great examples in our parents, maybe it is because I am the ying to his yang, the extrovert to his introvert, the comical to his sometimes serious side or maybe it is just because God saw fit to bring us together.  Whatever it is—it has worked and worked well.

When I think back to 28 years ago we were very young (I was barely 22) and naive.  Yes, naive!  We thought nothing of pulling up stakes and moving thousands of miles away to Florida to begin our life together.  It probably was the best thing we could have done because we had to depend upon each other and make our own decisions and grow up on our own.  Who would have known that this would be the first of many moves ( 9 to date) and many adventures (millions to date!)

Through the years our ties to family have always remained very strong even when distanced by miles and our relationships with friends have been nurtured and some of those have become our families.  We are blessed with friends in a lot of different places and in this age of technology it is becoming easier and easier to connect with them.  And of course we have been blessed with our children—Micah and Aaron are the best thing that we have or could ever do in our lives.   They are truly the best of both of us.  Not everyone has the chance to experience what we have experienced with them.

So did I know 28 years ago when the rain poured during the ceremony at English Chapel at Ohio Northern University but cleared off just in time for the reception outside in the gardens that my life with Chris would lead me where I am today?  Nope!  But did I know that I would be with him for the rest of my life?  Yes, I did.  And I am grateful for our life together and for all that have touched our lives along the way.   Here’s to at least 28 more years of sharing life with my best friend!