Happy Anniversary!

To celebrate our anniversary Allen took the day off and the kids went to visit their grandparents so we could have some time to catch up with each other.  In honor of of the day we made a list of 21 great moments (in no particular order) since we have been a couple.  Except we couldn't stop at 21 and in fact only quit because we ran out of time.

1.  Studying the Word, growing in our faith together and praying for each other, with each other and as a family

2.  Babies... birthing them, raising them and watching them move into their lives as amazing adults who are changing the world

3.  The townhouse

4.  Building our home

5.  Allen's first, and very romantic, confession of his undying love

 6.  The proposal at the Buckeystown Inn

7.  Our wedding... it was all magical but especially when our driver was pulled over on our way to the reception and after a long and hilarious exchange Stephen convinced him we really did just get married and we really were on our way to the reception.  To which the officer said, "Why didn't you just say so in the first place."

8.  Our tenth anniversary in Florida... which was also our first trip alone together.  When Aunt Liz heard we were going for two weeks she said, "Why so long?"

9.  Family trips to Disney

10.  California trip with the older girls in 2001

11.  Billy Joel Concerts

12.  Coming home from business trips

13.  The first dinner Allen cooked for me

14.  Tilghmans Island weekends

15.  Going to the theater, which he thought he would hate and as it turns out he LOVES.  Extra fond memories of his first show, The Music Man, with a massive group of out of town friends over July Fourth weekend 1997.

 16.  Saturday date nights

17. Coming through hard stuff... ie... Addison's seizures, chronic illness...

18.  Beach days on Tybee Island

19.  Pool days and late night swims

20.  Snow walks and sledding and curling up by the fire afterwards

 21.  Holidays... the movies, the parties... the lights... the friends... the meals...

22.  Entertaining

23.  Birthdays at Deep Creek Lake

24.  Our first apartment at Springhill Lake and our college days

25.  The flu with 9 kids... countless years over

 26.  Nights by the bonfire, evenings playing badmitton and croquet in the yard, lounging on the deck, morning Bible study in the garden

27.  gardening

28.  Road trips

29.  running

30. The food

 31.  birthdays

32.  Gram's funeral

33.  All the special friendships we have made

34.  When the kids were little and they went to bed early and we spent the whole evening together playing games and chatting

35.  Weddings, graduations, parties and picnics...

 36.  Navy days

37.  The Jeep, both of them.

38.  Prenatal visits and lunch in Germantown

39.  Unempolyment

It is hard to believe we have been friends for almost 30 years!  I often wonder why the Lord showed me so much grace to give me my Allen.  This last year has been the most challenging of our life (and the last 7 have been doozies so that's saying a lot) as we faced so much crazy, suffered painful losses, built a house, saw countless life changes, faced health challenges and the list goes on and on.  There were times I wondered how we would make it to the next day and two months where I struggled daily with the decision to keep living life in the face of endless physical and emotional pain.  It is because of those times I sit here today more grateful than ever I can do life with this man as we walk hand in hand, best friends and lovers, through the joys and trials of years past, this year present and the years yet to come.   

Photos by Susan Schmidt Photography.  Thanks for the memories, my friend.