I hate to rain on any marriage counselor's parade, but the first year was easy. Maybe it is age, but I can't really remember anything bad or ugly, only the good. I wince now at the foods I prepared and Billy always ate, stuff I won't even allow in my house now. I smile at the lack of laundry that occupied my time back then, the uninterrupted hours of exercising and sunbathing while I waited for Coach to come home. Ultimately, we celebrated the first year of marriage with a trip to the 5A State Championship, Coach's first degree, and a quaint 2 bedroom townhouse that fit us perfectly.
Our 5th anniversary saw us settled in a new town with two kids and our first house. I was 31, Coach 32 and our little guys were 3 and 2. Despite a full load of IEP's, football and golf practices, Coach managed to secure a second degree and I realized I could get PAID to go to the gym every day. I also discovered the half marathon and my biggest cheering section. Life was, well, perfect!
By the time year 10 rolled around we were living the words from our vows: "where you go, I will go; your people will be my people." We were on our fifth town, our 4th football team, our 3rd house, and, ahem, our 3rd son. Coach capped that year off with a new diamond to match my gift of a child, which made the "I will follow" part a whole lot easier. We continued to cruise through school years, football seasons, and relaxing summers while our boys were quietly growing up in front of us.
Today we celebrate again, 15 years of football, babies, big boys, baseball, new houses, new schools, new friends, new churches, new adventures. Tomorrow we send an 8th grader, a 6th grader, and a kindergartner to school. We'll do it the same way we have done all the other stuff: together. Yes, sometimes we have to tag team, divide and conquer, go into zone coverage, draw straws (just kidding), but we are lucky. In the midst of all the chaos (and there's alot), we always come home to each other.
So today we'll attempt to celebrate these excellent adventures we've had around a schedule of back to school shopping, football practices, a teething baby, and an overly adventurous 5 year old. As I look around, our once quiet townhouse has been replaced with a cul-de-sac 2 story littered with Tonka trucks and baseball gloves. Our garage spills over with bicycles and a jog stroller. Our lazy Saturdays beside the grown up pool have been replaced with squeals and splashes from the backyard pool and games of "tips" and cannon ball contests.
A lot has changed in 15 years; a lot has stayed the same. I can't wait to see where year 20 finds us: Tru will be walking, Tate will have shot his first deer, and the big boys will be driving.
So as much as I would like to get sappy and sentimental over how excellent married life has been, who has the time? I have supper on the stove, one kid to pick up from practice, one to drop off, and more excellent adventures waiting on Billy and Jennifer.
