November 26, 1994:

November 26, 2019:

25 years

2 children

1 career

A brand new career

6 moves

5 states

7 cities

9 schools

1 dog

John and I have breezed through the years with relative ease. We’ve been incredibly lucky in that we have not had to endure any of life’s normal curveballs. In 25 years, we have had no serious medical issues, no deaths, no bankruptcies, no job losses, no traumas.

I’m not saying life was perfect. It wasn’t. There were a plethora of challenges and difficulties but they were manageable mainly because we were a team, always working together and having each other’s back.

There were a million laughs, thousands of eye rolls, and plenty of fights (but only one that was big enough to momentarily shift the earth’s axis).

It would be complete horse shit to say I’m grateful for every moment because I’m not. There are many I would have preferred not to endure if I’d been given a choice.

Marriage is work but it is also a comfortable refuge in a crazy, uncaring world. Good, bad, up, down, and sideways, it has been an interesting ride.

And, here we are 25 years later — older, smarter, and together.