Happy Anniversary

Wow! Thirty one years ago, Dave and I got married. That's a long time!

I graduated from college and passed State Boards. I've worked in nursing homes, hospitals, and an office. I've done everything from long term care to ICU. Dave Went to work for, and retired from, First Union.

We built a house. We demolished the kitchen and rebuilt it (and remained on speaking terms). We added on to that house and did a lot of the work ourselves. Then, we moved! Packing up 25 years' worth of stuff and a bunch of cats was no small feat! We've survived it all.

We've been through the "sickness and health" part. I went through a severe bout of depression (to the point of being suicidal, but was too much of a control freak to do it!). Everyone should spend a couple of years with a good therapist. Dave has lost part of his right foot and his left leg below the knee. He gets around pretty well for, what he calls, "a one legged old man". We have acquired creaks and groans as we've gotten older, but we still do what we want.

We've brought three really neat people into the world. If our goal is to leave to world better than we found it, we've done that with our kids. Chris lives with us and is working to find his place in the world. His girlfriend, Aaron, is a delight. I hope they have many years of happiness ahead. Catie teaches preschool and loves working with "her kids". She and Ben will become parents to Abbey in February. Elliott is waiting to hear from the Huntington Fire Dept about a job. He and Samantha are the parents of Bryce. He's the cutest little boy in the world! I will enjoy watching Catie and Elliott raise their babies. I promise I will not laugh at them (when they're around!), but I will laugh with them.

How have we managed to stay married this long? A strong faith in God is a must. I know that Dave was picked for me and I was picked for him. If it weren't for our faith, we would never have been able to make it through the valleys to get to the peaks. A sense of humor helps, too. Never take yourself too seriously and always find a way to laugh about a situation. If nothing else, that will save the life of an errant spouse or unruly child! Take time for yourself. Dave and I have individual interests and those that we share. He will go to the cloth store with me (boring!) and I will go to the hobby shop with him (ultra boring!). We do projects around the house together. I think Elliott summed it up when he was ten years old: "You and Dad are friends". I'm thankful to be married to my best friend.