Today’s post will be rather short and sweet as my wife and I went out last evening, for a bike ride and dinner, to celebrate being a couple for twenty years.
On August 19th, 1995 we went on our first unofficial date together. We met at a dance, danced the night away and went to a local boat launch to drink coffee and learn something about each other. We talked for several hours, about Elvis and the Beatles, about Star Wars and sobriety.
As fate would have it, Jessica was the woman God made for me, as I was the man He made for her.
We’ve been through good times and bad. We’ve been richer and poorer. In sickness and health. My wife has been my best friend since that day; my hot, smokin’ babymama (in the Elvis sense, not the seedy “mother of my babies”).
We would go on to marry, to make a commitment to God and have wonderful children and build a beautiful life together… Through faith, hard work, and dedication. Forsaking all others, till death do us part.
Our successful marriage didn’t come easy though. It took struggle, work, compromise, understanding and doing a whole lot of stuff for the other that we didn’t want to do – and it ultimately took making a conscious decision to be married, not two people living single but together. As my good friend Mike once said, “Jimmy, sometimes you wanna throw ’em like a dart but you just gotta love ’em”. Truer words have never been spoken.
Today is a good day. Good times, noodle salad.
Or, in my case, good times, 14 oz New York strip, and cheddar mashed potatoes… Good enough for government work.
[ED. Just in case you’re wondering, my drink is an Arnold Palmer – half-and-half lemonade and iced tea. Also, an hour before the photo of my wife and I on our mountain bikes was taken, it was raining. I was CERTAIN that I’d finally get a day off… Well, it cleared up so we went for an easy 14 mph spin down the dirt road, ten miles out and back.]
Congratulations and wishing you many more happy years together.
Thanks Sheree, we both appreciate it.
Congrats! I needed this today, I am getting married in 16 days and it is nice to see that marriage can work! I hope my Fiance and I can write a post like this in 20 years!
I hope he can too, and one for you as well!
Congratulations to you and your wife!
Thank you!
Love this!
Thanks Elisa, good to see you’re about.
Congrats! Nice to hear your story, even the condensed version.
Get your wife some gloves. Or make her wear the ones she has. (Sorry, my cyclist OCD kicked in)
Thanks man.
Congrats!!! God times and noodles salad for sure! Or steak and Arnold Palmers 🙂 you know with your 20 years I bet you could have written an awesome marriage article 🙂 wishing you more of everything in the years to come congrats.
I thought about writing a longer, more detailed post… I may yet. Thanks.
Congrats to the both of you 🙂
Thank you.
Congratulations!!! No truer words, “ultimately took making a conscious decision to be married, not two people living single but together.” That’s what makes a marriage last! Enjoy another 20+ years!
Thanks Tracey, one day at a time, I will.
Congrats. Quite an achievement!
Thank you.
Congrats and many more years!
Thanks Sue.
Congrats you two and a really beautiful photo of you both.
Thank you, it’s been a wild ride.