happy anniversary

Today, Jay and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Sound like a really long time? Yup, it is. We have been through a lot together which I told you about here so I won't go through it all again.

I decided to just post some pictures. A "through the years" sort of deal which turned out to be way more difficult and frustrating than I had imagined. We lost the bulk of our pictures in Hurricane Katrina, so there are no wedding photographs, and very few of the two of us together. Here is what I found.




Ignorance is Bliss



Engaged? Newly Married? Can't rightly say because I don't remember.

What I see?

Two people in love who really have no idea what they are doing or what "adventures" lay ahead... The expression on my face? I dunno. Looks like he's trying to be funny.




Brand-new Baby...Brand-new Parents



Fast-forward 2 1/2 years to the birth of our first child who is a week old in the picture.

What I see?

Two people who are in love with this tiny being, who again have really no idea what they are doing. Are you sensing a pattern?




On the go...



Baby Ryan "walking" with Mommy and Daddy.

What I see?

A kid in the center of the picture who rightly was, at the time, the center of our world. As for the faceless parents? Isn't that how it really is anyway...




Christmas of 1997



Relaxing Christmas morning in Wytheville, Virginia, with a cousin palooza goin' on. I have such fond memories of this year. We got snowed in, but no one cared.

What I see?

A couple whose lives are about to change again, as we were expecting our second child and didn't know it yet.




What 15 years of marriage looks like...






What 15 years of marriage feels like...




What I know:

That we are still in love after all these years.

That we still like each other. Most of the time.

That a sense of humor does not just come in handy in marriage; it is vital.

That we have weathered storms and have come through them stronger and a little more determined.

That when we said "till death" we meant it. (We did not know at the time, however, that having children would speed up the process.)

That each stage in life, no matter what is going on, needs to be valued, appreciated and never taken for granted because it passes too quickly.

That I love him more now than the day we married.

That God has a sense of humor. Because after reviewing these photos, I realize that wrinkles and zits on the same face is not only sad, it jus' ain't right.

Here's to the next 15!