23 Years

Happy 4th of July to everyone!!! The country is 229 years old. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were celebrating the bicentennial???

It was twenty three years ago tonight that I met my wife. I was recounting the story tonight and realized my daughter is older than my wife's sister (why incidentally is visiting with her husband and daughter from New Jersey) was when I first met my wife. My wife's sister will be 30 (I hope she doesn't mind me spilling the beans??) next month so she was 6 when I met my wife and my daughter is 7. Wow, how time flies. I guess it has been 22 3/4 years of happiness and the last 1/4 has been a little different to say the least.

Life is filled with faith. The reason I met my wife was due to the fact I didn't go on a family vacation. I didn't want to go to Knoxville, Tennessee to see the World's Fair in 1982 and for some reason my mother let me stay home. I attended a Fourth of July picnic with my father and a friend of mine and we came home early. My friend convinced me to go out with his girlfriend's cousin on a double date. I really didn't want to go but he wouldn't take no for an answer so we all went out to a local pizza place and the rest is history. I do remember saying to my friend after the date that either this will be a very short relationship or a very long relationship. It looks like I was right!!!

I have known my wife for almost 60 percent of my life. She has put up with me through a great deal of "stuff" and all I can say is thank you so very much and I love you so much. Without her presence in my life I shutter to think what my world would be like. I know the days ahead are going to get tough but knowing she is by my side and having the love we share will make it so much better. I know this is not what she signed up for 23 years ago and everyone's life has its peaks and valleys but we can get through this and we will get through this difficult time.

Even on our first date while walking to the local pizza place I had to veer off course because I didn't want to go by another girl's house (who I was sort of seeing at the time) and we got a little lost. Maybe she should have known then that this wouldn't be a "typical" relationship.