Twenty Five Years and Just Getting Started

Twenty five years ago today, at the tender age of twenty one, I was driving a used yellow Ford escort to a church that was built as a private school.  I was getting married in the gymnasium of that school-building-turned church and I was more than a little nervous.  I honestly had my doubts about getting married that day.  Not because of Dena but because of me and the real reasons that I knew we were getting married. 

Throughout the years, Dena and I have discussed this issue several times.  We were friends and I was a friend to her family.  Our other close friends and relatives were getting married, and we both needed some stability to our lives.  We needed to combine incomes to continue to make it on our own and Dena seemed to me to be a logical person to help me with my situation. Dena came from a stable family and I knew she had a solid work ethic and would help with our share of the finances. I felt like she was a "good, sturdy" woman.  And I was different than other guys that Dena had dated before in that I was a hard-bodied jock with a fun personality.  She decided she would take a chance also.  We loved each other but had some difficult times dating but both decided we would stick it out because we didn't want to go home.  And after all, we had scheduled a wedding and our friends and relatives were attending.  It would be an embarrasment to call the wedding off and send everyone home.  So we did it.  We got married.  No kidding.  That was about the extent of our thinking.

And life seemed to cruise along.  Dena and I kept getting promotions.  We kept moving up the ladder and it seemed the logical thing to do to start to have children.  So we did.  And things were fine most of the time.  Life just kept moving along.

But throughout the years, we drifted apart emotionally.  And we struggled.  And things got pretty bad between Dena and me.  She was into her career and I wasn't so hard-bodied or as fun as I once was.  And we bottomed out as a couple.

And then a strange thing happened.  We both started to fight for our marriage.  We realized that we did love each other and that we wanted to make it work.  We figured out, that despite our ridiculous reasons for getting married, that we would rather be married than be apart.  And we wanted to live together as a family.

So today marks the 25th anniversary of the day that we got married.  Today, I truly believe I am the luckiest guy in the world.  Dena is still a "good sturdy woman" and she is a fighter.  It's probably the only reason we are married today.  But she's more than just a "good sturdy" woman, Dena is also fun and laughs easily.  She allows the boys and I to make fun of her when she says silly things and she laughs with us.  She is still a "worker bee" and makes sure the boys and I are completely taken care of.  She holds down a great job while attending every cross country and track meet to root for Josh and every concert that Spencer plays.  And she is sexy.  No, she doesn't dress sexy, and doesn't get her nails done every month, but she.........well, that's really none of your business!!

So, thank you Dena.  Thank you for making "us" work.  Thank you for being a great example to me of how to compliment our differences to make us a great team.  Thank you for having my boys and the sacrifices you have made personally to raise them.  Thank you for teaching me how to fight fair.  Thank you for being an incredible lover.  Thank you for being you! Thank you for loving me!

And thank you for our first 25 years together.  I hope and pray we get to celebrate another 25 years together. I want to grow old with you.  I want to celebrate our life together.  I can't wait to spoil grandkids together.  I can't wait to take this journey into Fall and Winter with you.

And, Lord willing, if we do make it to 50 years of marriage, I promise you that I will do everything within my means to walk the beaches of Hawaii together on Saturday, August 9th, 2036.

I Love You Dena!!!!!!