Our 16th Wedding Anniversary

On October 14, 1995, My Marine and I exchanged "I do's".  Sixteen years married and a total of 23 years together!

Our wedding day. The day started off cold and rainy. It rained when we left for the church. I remember pulling away in the limo and realizing that the sunroof was open a crack and water started dripping all over me. I remember chaos in the church hall while I was getting ready to make my entrance...just lots of people wanting to see me and take pictures. I remember standing at the back of the church with my daddy - waiting for the moment - while memories of watching Father of the Bride with him ran in my head over and over. Thinking that it's finally here! I remember walking down the aisle and seeing My Marine standing there in his dress blues. I remember tearing up as my daddy handed me over and whispered in my ear - "Be happy".






The rest of the day was another blur....the photo shoot, the reception, dancing, friends, family -- the best night of my life!






Fast forward again to present day.....

Thanks to mom being in town, we have a built-in babysitter so that we can go out and have a nice dinner.  This will be our 8th anniversary spent together....the other 8 involved trips with the President, a deployment, and various schools and conferences.  (Thank you U.S. Military!)
But for today, I'm just happy to have him home.

In our 16 married years, we've had our ups and downs.  Fights and make-ups. Losses and gains. Close to divorce.  Career decisions and moving to new homes. Our daughters - our biggest accomplishments yet! 

We've learned the hard way to never take each other for granted. Always be willing to listen, even if it's something you may not want to hear. Even though you may be mommy and daddy, never forget that you are still husband and wife.

Support each other and encourage each other to have outside interests -- outside of each other. Have fun with each other -- laugh, love, and live.

And finally, alway keep some dreams and goals for yourself and your family. We still have dreams and goals for ourselves and our family.....and together we will accomplish it all.

Happy Anniversary Tinker!  I love you more than you'll ever know!