Love is....

being married for 40 years ( not me you silly geese!)

My parents and my hubbie's parents both have been married 40 years this year. Crazier than that - my parents anniversary was the 13th and his parents anniversary was the 7th.

His parents are one of those love at first sight types - they met and got married all within 4 months. Now here they are - 2 kids; 6 grandkids later. Still in love....

My parents took it a little slower, I mean a lot slower. They met and were married 4 years later. Now married as of yesterday 40 years - 3 countries, 3 kids, and 6 grandkids later. They lived their life as the ultimate adventure. They left everything and moved to Canada, moved to the States, and finally moved to Oklahoma (of all places!).

Both of our parents had their first children within a year of each other - they both waited 5-6 years and had us. Six years later, my hubbie's parents had a miscarriage - the year that my sister was born.

Irony....



But back to love. We have both grown up with parents that have been married for years - our siblings (older) - same thing - my brother got married young - I was 16. Hubbie's sister married the year we met.

I have to throw our story in - I now believe in fate and love at first sight. We met at college debate camp - yes, I was a college debater (hahaha!). We both travelled in highschool on our debate teams. We could have met several times - I'm sure we walked by each other at tournaments we both attended in Chicago or Dallas. Perhaps even at Nationals....but never met.

Until the first day of college debate camp (96) - I was 19 and he was 20. I knew at the end of that two weeks, I was head over heals in love. I even called my mom and asked her how she knew Dad was "the one". She told me to get on the plane the next day and come home. I came home to flowers.....

A few weeks later I drove to Memphis to see my boyfriend - and met his entire family. A few weeks later he drove down to see me at college - slept in a campground. I didn't have much time to hang out - his visit was in the middle of rush. I transferred schools at the end of that semester to his college: became one of his two debate partners.

His proposal was less than romantic. It was the 3rd quarter of the Knicks Pacers game in June '00. I was crying, I had thought that would be the weekend that he would propose. We had just graduated college. We were going to close on our first house the next week. He did but just not the way that I thought he would. Probably not the way he had envisioned either. I've never asked.

And here we are 8 years (married, 14 years together) later with 3 kids.

Life is good. Happy Valentine's Day!