Twenty Years

Twenty years ago today a boy asked me to be his girlfriend. He asked me this question at my 18th Birthday "party" in my Birthday card. Needless to say I said yes.. and the rest as they say is history... twenty years history to be exact. It almost feels like a dream to know that we have been together for this long, (maybe because you now know how old I am .. or I am going to be). We've been through A LOT together as boyfriend and girlfriend, an engaged couple, married, and as parents. We laughed, we've cried, we fought, we've made up, and we've loved. We have changed so very much over the last twenty years... I could even say we are two very different people. We've made it through a long distance relationship TWICE both spanning 3 years time. We've made it through miscarriages and losses. We've welcomed five wonderful daughters into this world ... more than I am sure either of us thought. We made it through a time where we didn't know if we would. We've struggled and we've thrived. We've been there for each other even if we didn't quite know how. There are far too many ups and downs we've faced along the way to list them all but I am one hundred precent certain they have made us the couple we are today.
I had the opportunity to photograph a large family on Thanksgiving... ordinarily something I wouldn't agree too but the woman's story about why she wanted the photos spoke to me and I said yes. The family was mom and dad with their older kids and then their kids.. nothing special just a large family photo. I was asked to photograph Mom and Dad (where it all started) watching them through my lens I couldn't believe the love I was seeing unfold right in front of me. The way she looked at him and how he smiled back at her... I couldn't help but tell them just how adorable they were. They told me they had been married 41 years.. tears literally filled my eyes. I was blown away, I knew immediately I wanted this with my husband when we are married 41 years.
I love the way love works the way it overcomes the way it grows. Love sees all, knows all, but yet still finds away. I can't wait for my girls to find the kind of love their father and I have.
Here is to twenty amazing years as a "couple" I am more excited than ever to see what the next twenty have in store for us.