12 Years

I was looking at my sister’s Valentines Day blog and the ensuing comments about relationship longevity. Yesterday Ritchie reminded me that we just spent our 12th Valentines Day together. Well, that’s being a bit generous. We definitely did not spend V-days together when he was on his mission but you get the point. Really? 12 years? I had to think about it for a minute but he’s right. Our first date was Valentines Day 1997. Hopeless Romantic that he is, he waited an agonizing few weeks before asking me out just so we could have our first date on that day. That seems like a long time ago. We’re kind of old. I also thought about how this will be our last Valentines Day as just the two of us for quite a while and it made me a little sad. Don’t get me wrong, we’re thrilled beyond belief for the arrival of our little girl in a few months. I’m just sensing the end of an era. These last few days I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how lucky I am to be married to this boy and how we’ve grown together over the last 7 1/2 years of marriage and 12 years of life. I’m grateful for the experiences that we have under our belt and for the way they’ve bonded us. So as we venture on to this next phase of life which promises plenty of excitement, challenge and joy, I’m grateful to be along for the ride with him.