Wedded Bliss

Today is our 11th wedding anniversary and marks 14 years of our being together. It sure has gone by fast and I'm liking how things have evolved. Back when I was young and single, I was constantly told that I was being too 'picky'. I thought I was simply waiting for someone I thought I could spend the rest of my life with. I certainly didn't want to 'settle for' the first guy that came along. I knew exactly what I was looking for in a husband - I just hadn't found him yet. Who would have ever though he was just under my nose at work and that we both would become available to each other at just about the same time back in 1995? Many of my married colleagues would tell me how hard marriage was. I thought to myself that I didn't want it to be THAT hard. Yes, marriage is full of compromises but there are a certainly a lot of benefits.

I was single for much of my adult life and at times never thought I'd have my own children or even get to be involved with the raising of a child. Skip came as a package deal with Scooter who was only 1 1/2 years old when we first started dating. It has been wonderful being seeing Scooter grow up and maneuver through the many emotional, physical and intellectual changes. He's 15 1/2 now and is a fine, handsome, intelligent, young man and I cherish the relationship we have.

As a married couple, Skip and I have what one could say is the best of both worlds - married with children and without children. Scooter is with us every other weekend now and half of most holidays so the rest of the time we are like a happily retired couple whose children have left the nest. When Scooter is with us, we are a couple with a teenaged kid. We are free to pursue our hobbies and passions and to travel as much as we can afford - as much as possible, fitting our trips around our time with Scooter or including him as much as possible.

We know we are very, very fortunate to have found each other knowing that so much of life and emerging relationships is a 'crapshoot'. Having found each other later in both our lives, we had pretty much figured out what really is important in life and for the most part are like-minded in that regard.

Happy Anniversary, Honey. Here's to many, many more years of health and happiness together.



June 29, 1998