back again!

JR and I have been married 17 years, actually, it's 17 years next week.  When we got married, it was 2 days after Thanksgiving.  We got married then because we thought it would be easiest for my friends and family who were away at school to attend, otherwise we would have to wait for spring and we didn't want to wait that long.  In retrospect, getting married at thanksgiving time has had distinct ups and downs.

The ups are:
Everyone's in a celebratory mood that time of year
JR usually has time off of work that time of year
WE always have our marriage to be grateful for @ thanksgiving

The downs are:
every 4 years our anniversary LANDS on Thanksgiving, making it expensive to go anywhere & our special day is glossed over in favor of the holiday everyone else is sharing
every 5 years our anniversary lands on a Sunday, ensuring that we don't go anywhere on those years- and for those who are curious those are the big ones...5th anniverary, 10th, 15th....we always end up doing something small on a different day so that we can keep the sabbath day holy.
JR may have time off...but, it is limited, meaning we usually can't get away for loong.

This year we had the opportunity to go back to the place we went on our honeymoon 17 years ago.  It's a condo owned by a good friend's parents and we were thrilled to be offered the opportunity to go.  Sneaking a way for time together can be hard.   There are so many pulls on us, on our time together.  I literally felt the pull as we drove away and then it snaked it's arms back around us when we came back, but while we were gone....we exhaled.....it was bliss.

For those of you who are familiar with the Oregon Coast in November...it is rainy and windy.  We have celebrate several anniversaries at the coast in near gale force winds (it's actually quite fun!).  Imagine our surprise when this particular trip we arrived in freezing, pouring down rain but awoke to blissfully blue skies.  It was surprising to say the least!

I'm so grateful for my time with my hubby, although I think I need more.  I think I'd just started the relaxation process when we had to come back.  I feel lucky that after 17 years together we still really like each other and are relaxed and happy in each other's company.  All in all 17 years is just a drop in the bucket.  It's a small fraction of the time I intend to stay committed to this wonderful man.

This quote says it all for me: "A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."  ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966