Today, Todd and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. We had a beautiful spring wedding in Michigan with quite a crowd - around 400 family and friends. The funny thing about marriage is that sometimes it seems like we've been together forever, and other times, it seems like it hasn't been long at all.
It's been an interesting 12 years. We bought our first house in Michigan just before we got married, and we loved it there! We lived in a little ranch house on an acre of land on a dirt road, and it was perfect. We thought we'd live there forever... and surprise! We moved to North Carolina from Michigan 9 years ago, and I've been pretending we would move back "home" ever since. I think I've finally accepted that we will be here for at least a wee while longer, though, and we've started painting things. Heh.
Emma joined us in March of 2000, and Abbie joined us in March 2001. "Schmooey," who will probably really be called Isaac, will join us sometime in August of this year. His impending arrival was a bit of a shock, but we're so glad he's coming and can't wait to meet him.
Like all married couples, we've had our share of tough times. I have come to believe that staying married is only possible through the miraculous grace of God. I don't see how else it could happen. I can remember being quite sure that I would never like him again, wondering how we were going to stay married - but now, we like each other better than ever, our love has certainly grown and our commitment deepened.
I remember being told that marriage is a lot of hard work. I had no idea what they - my parents, grandparents - were talking about. I guess you can't know what that means until you experience some tough times. Then you realize that sometimes, the hardest thing about being married is staying married when you don't want to. When you get to the other side, though, you will be glad you did.