Happy Anniversary Baby...

Today is my 10th wedding anniversary!

(I'll post a pic when I can get to a scanner that works)

I woke up this morning with Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It" running through my head. It's funny because sometimes it seems like we've been married forever and sometimes we look at each other and say "wow, can you believe it?" We have been together longer than the sum total of our first marriages combined, and longer than many of our friends marriages.

We had once talked about renewing our vows, including our original wedding party. I had wanted to wear my wedding gown again, but I doubt it would fit now. A party would have been nice, but thanks to the economy, we will be spending a quiet evening at home instead.

I have to laugh, as thunderstorms are in the forecast today, just as they were 10 years ago.
Two hours before our ceremony, the sky turned black and it rained relentlessly until 45 minutes before we walked down the aisle. Too late to take any photos outdoors. Attendance was sparse; we had a lot of left-over cake. The next day at church, (yes, we post-poned our honeymoon to spend our first day as husband and wife in church...our Sunday school class enjoyed cake with their coffee ) many people came up to tell us they "would have come, but it rained." I had laughed and replied "that's okay, we got married anyway."

But it was truly symbolic. The first of many storms we have weathered.

I'm told that if you can make it through the first 10 years, the rest get easier.
(of course none of those people were my parents, my step-siblings, or former in-laws...all who divorced after the 17, 25, & 30 year mark, but I guess there are exceptions to every rule, eh?)

I guess that makes sense. Couples go through a lot in 10 years time, and we are no exception.

In the first 12 months of our marriage alone, Darling Hubby had 2 total-loss car accidents and walked away unscathed; I dealt with an apendectomy, infertility, PCOD, and a hysterectomy.

In the years that followed we have been through 6 cars, a new mortgage, a refinance, a major custody fight, diabetes, alternative school, O.D.D, juvenile detention, and boot camp, clinical depression, a baseball-sized breast lump (benign), declining health of our parents,a land despute with a utilty company, the death of 2 grandparents, hypertension,2 clothes dryers, facing and overcoming financial ruin, acne, a year of car-pooling in the lone car, A.D.D., obesity, 3 bleeding ulcers, 8 lawn mowers, sleep apnea, and a stroke scare. There was even a one week seperation about five years ago.

I'm sure there is more, but this is all that comes to mind.

And I am sure there is more to come.

But just as the couple in the old adage about the wedding bell, we remember, nothing is too hard when we pull together.

Maybe I will fit in my wedding dress again, in time to renew our vows on our 20th anniversary.

The next decade begins today.

Happy Anniversary Baby...I've got you on my mind.