Happy 16th Anniversary to Us

Sixteen years ago today, Bob and I were walking down the aisle, saying our "I do"'s. Wow, we were just kids back then, our lives ahead of us. Never in a million years did we imagine we would be where we are now. Neither of us had interest in a medical carreer, we both had planned on Master's and doctorate degrees in Psychology, and we certainly had no interest in moving from the cities we had always called home. 3 or 4 kids in a predictable private school following the same path we had as kids. That was what we had planned.

Look at us now.....yes, only an hour from the cities, but hey, we are surrounded by country farms on all sides of our home. Seven kids (and two angels awaiting us), in public school (!!!), two medical degrees, and a house with a lake view. Our oldest son now the same age as we had been when we first met, with a girlfriend that may possibily be his own wife someday! Where has all the time gone? But even after all that time, I sometimes still feel like we are just kids, only we are now playing with more pieces in this game of life.

Bob took today off of work to recoup, nap, and take down some Christmas lights. The kids were off of school early today, so we had a houseful from lunchtime, on. Bob's Anniversary gift to me was a lesson from a really fantastic golf pro in Chaska. This guy was amazingly talented in reading people and understanding exactly what they needed to hear in order to get the concept understood. Where I had been so confused in my swing and missing the ball, the instructor got me hitting the ball 100% of the time....effortlessly. That, in itself, was worth the lesson. I went into it feeling like a hopeless golf playing loser, and came out as a baby-stepping-future-golf-playing-hopeful. Very good change in attitude!

We decided to include our kids in our Anniversary dinner. Odd, I know, but it seemed like the right thing to do. We have such little opportunities for family activities, and they are such an integral part of our marriage, that they deserved to celebrate with us! We piled everyone into the truck (including our extra guest) and drove out to Don Pablo's for one of the best Anniversary dinners we had ever had. It DID feel like a celebration, and it felt totally RIGHT to have our wonderful kids with us. I like all the funny glances we get from people as we parade by with all of the kids in line....you can always see people making comments to each other and looking on in awe and surprise. Makes me smile inside! Melissa made it worth it when she said "Thank you for taking us out to the restaurant for your anniversary. That was fun!" as she bounded happily up the stairs to bed. This may just be our new Anniversary tradition!