Andy and I just celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss!
On our wedding day, my father-in-law told of Andy as a little kid, he had a pair of red boxing gloves, and he would come out to the living room ready to defeat his fierce opponent (AKA my father-in-law). Andy fought with all his might, swinging, flinging those scrawny little kid arms at his dad. Sometimes, he was so exhausted, he would take a break, arms hanging by his sides, deep breathing, shoulders rising and falling, rising and falling. Then, as his opponent came at him, Andy started swinging once more...and he kept swinging, punching, giving it his all.
"Marriage is like that" Jim said, "things will come up and attack your marriage, but keep swinging, keep hitting those challenges that come to you, keep going." Then he added, "Marriage is not about swinging at each other, but tackling those challenges together, as a team."
Ten years, and I still remember those words: keep swinging, not at each other, but at whatever comes your way.
It has not always been bliss. We have indeed dealt some punches at each other (never literally, of course). But we have hurt each other, we have been unkind, we have felt disappointed, we have been angry...but then we take a break, arms hanging by our sides, deep breathing, shoulders rising and falling, rising and falling. A break that reminds us we are a team, and we can face the challenges together. So we gather around, as a team, and we keep swinging, hard. Not at each other, but at the "opponents" that come our way.
We were so young when we got married. I mean look at us, we were kids! We now say we have grown up together, and that is a true statement. We didn't know who we were or who we would become, but we were committed to each other, and we knew no matter what came our way, we were going to keep swinging.
And love has grown and bonded us even more as we have done life together, as we keep swinging.
Life has not always been easy, but it's been good!
And I love, admire, and respect this man more than ever. He is my number one. I am one lucky girl to have him.
So we took some time without the kids, and we celebrated! I don;t share very many pictures of us, but today is special, and marriage is to be celebrated and honored. So here we are, crazy in love after 10 years and committed to keep swinging.
Us, 10 years after "I do"
For lunch, we went to the Melting Pot for the first time. We love fun-do! It really was a neat experience, and for those wondering, the best part really is the chocolate fondue! Just waiting for a version that includes Nutella...for real!
A fun detail: We sat at a small little booth that had a black curtain, so we could close it and we were "away" from the rest of the restaurant. I loved the intimate feeling!
Later in the evening, we went to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater. Andy and I worked there when we were in college. We also happened to watch a play there the day Andy proposed, so we have lots of memories in that place, not to mention the free dates we got from working there. Going back was quite meaningful, and we love musicals!
Bye-Bye Birdie! It was fun, and we were that close to the stage. Actually, we were so close we even got to help a little during the performance by hollering when one of the actors prompted us. It was fun!
I don't know you, and I don't know what challenges have come your way that have opposed your marriage. Today, I want to encourage you, keep swinging! Not at each other, but at whatever comes your way. Swing hard, give it your all, it is worth it!
