35 Year Anniversary

Thirty-five years!  As I look at those words it almost sounds unbelievable!  How very quickly this time has passed.  So very much has changed.  Two very young, naive, incredibly poor, and insanely hopeful people married each other thirty five years ago today.  It is simply a fact to say that we have grown up together.

I can definitely say that ours was NOT a story of "love at first sight".  I attended an all girls high school and Greg attended the all boys high school that we shared our social activities with. During my senior year, the nuns decided that it would be a good idea to have a panel of senior boys come over once a week to sit in on our religion class.  That way we would supposedly get a guy's view on things.  Greg was one of the boys on the panel.  He was cocky and annoying and way too opinionated for my taste. LOL  As the weeks went by, my irritation at his attitudes grew.  I had a steady boyfriend at this time, who was everyone's idea of the perfect guy.  He was Mr. Steady and Reliable (the opposite of who I perceived Greg to be)  During this time period, Debbie (my sister) went to a dance and came home with the news that she had met a new guy.  As we sat there discussing the story in detail, I realized to my horror that it was Greg.  Despite my warnings, she went to prom with him!  Thru a series of events over the next few months Greg and I eventually went to a party together as friends.  When we were actually together in a one on one situation, I came to realize that he wasn't exactly as horrible as I had thought him to be.  The next weekend, after our "date",  he was in a bad motorcycle accident and was taken to the hospital.  My grandmother worked in the admitting department at this hospital and that is how I learned of his fate.  I started visiting him daily. Greg was in the hospital for a couple of weeks, so we spent a lot of time together. Getting to know him in this unique situation let me see the real Greg.  For a year he was in a cast and on crutches.  We dated steadily during this time and I was the designated driver.  The rest as they say is history..........

(Look how tightly we are holding hands....)

The most wonderful thing we have shared together is our daughter.  Michelle has brought a joy to our lives that we could never have imagined.  Watching her grow from a baby to the special woman she has become has  fulfilled and given purpose to our lives.  Now we get to enjoy the blessing of being grandparents together.  The wonder of this experience has been beyond compare......the joys of parenthood with none of the responsibility.

(We were sooooo happy.  This was our first family vacation.)

I don't think it is possible to spend this much time with anyone and be able to say it has all been smooth sailing.  We have weathered many storms.  Sometimes the only thing that kept me hanging on was the knowledge that my best friend in the whole world was in the exact same boat as me.  In some of my darkest hours the sight of the one person in the whole world who knows exactly how I feel, has been enough.
It feels wonderful to have gone thru all of the ups and downs that we have over the years and to know we are happy, still in love and TOGETHER.  I praise God for letting this be the story of my life!