Twenty Years

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I didn't have a lot of relationships prior to marriage that lasted much longer than twenty days.

So, to be sitting here twenty years into wedded bliss is pretty amazing.

And 20 is a nice round number that makes you think back.

We were married in right field at the North Collins Town Park. When lifetime friend, the Honorable Ward Weiser, said:

"Have you come here freely, and soberly."

All the guys in my wedding party laughed.

And what a wedding party it was...

...I had a whole bunch of best men.

Then the party started...

...and it rained harder than I've ever seen it rain.

It rained for hours and hours and the reception turned into a Springsteen-filled frat party.

And there was sunshine.

Three kids and two dogs made the years fly by fast.

The great times took us to the highest of peaks...

...the tragedies took us down to the valley floor.

And that's the thing about a long relationship.

It's not easy.

It isn't for the feint of heart.

Day in and day out.

Being pissed off, but always finding a way back to the moment when you stood there and said "I do."

Back when I was dating and the poor girls couldn't run away fast enough because I didn't want to put in any effort, I often wondered if I would ever be married.

When Jake got sick early on and we battled through it, together...

...the most horrible of circumstances...

I understood that the partnership was solid.

As we stood before Ward that day I turned to Kathy and said:

"Twenty and out. Like a prison term."

She laughed.

Our 4th, five-year-deal is up.

A good friend of mine sent me a text to say 'Happy Anniversary."

He wrote:

"You're one of the only other couples we know who appear to still like each other."

We do.

(Most of the time).

Guess I'm re-upping and my beautiful wife appears to be pretty comfortable too.

So.

Another 5-year deal is on the horizon.

Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife.

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