Although we can’t celebrate together, I just wanted to take a minute to tell the man I love Happy Anniversary!
These are just a couple of the things I am most proud that we have been able to accomplish.
- Our kids, of course. Although they are not perfect, I’m pretty proud of them and the little people they are growing up to be. We have learned a lot about parenting and I love the fact that we are always reading, taking classes, and listening to the advice of those more experienced than us to learn to be better parents.
- We’re debt free- almost! About a year ago, Tyler had a really strong feeling that we needed to do some work to get our finances in order. When we totaled it all up, I was pretty depressed (remember my teary phone call last Christmas, Georgia?). I didn’t think we could fix it and I didn’t really feel an urgency since most of it was money used to fix up our house and other necessary things for our business. I always tried to save, shop sales, and not spend too much… but it never seemed to make a difference. I was wrong. This year we have paid off an enormous amount of debt- to be honest the numbers don’t even add up. In addition to getting rid of our credit cards and paying off most of what was there, we had a miscarriage, a $3,000 transmission bill, and managed to keep our kids in snowboarding, competition soccer, and piano lessons, and build college/emergency/retirement funds. It is so great to not have bills hanging over our head- no car payments, no deciding how much to pay credit cards, etc. Being sick and pregnant hasn’t made keeping up with things easy… but we have an amazing amount of momentum. I can’t wait to see what we get done this year.
- That we are still married and loving it! Most people that knew us when we met, never thought it would last. Well… it has and it is wonderful. Sixteen years is a long time, and we have both grown up a lot. It’s fun to think of our future.
Regrets: Only one. In all these years, I’ve never come up with a “pet” name for him. Weird, I know. I guess he always just seem too sophisticated or something, but I’ve never called him anything but “Tyler.” Now I wish I could think of something, but it seems kind of lame, at this point. Oh well… something else to work on, I guess.
I love you forever… always remember.
Although we can’t celebrate together, I just wanted to take a minute to tell the man I love Happy Anniversary! These are just a couple of the things I am most proud that we have been able to accomplish. 
Regrets: Only one. In all these years, I’ve never come up with a “pet” name for him. Weird, I know. I guess he always just seem too sophisticated or something, but I’ve never called him anything but “
4 comments:
That is one beautiful Bride! I never would have thought you would be able to keep getting even more beautiful through all these years. I guess your mother should have been a clear indication.
Calling me sophisticated there at the end made me completely lose my train of thought – now that is funny. Let’s see if I can pull these thoughts back together again.
1. I think we had pretty good role models and the religious structure we have for general guide lines and setting priorities has helped A LOT. As has your education and definitely your work experience. Luckily so far I have been able to avoid messing up all your hard work, and I will keep trying! I am always amazed that despite how important this to you -and I think your feelings of self worth- you don’t ever seem to be afraid to be brutally honest with yourself and realized you have to change things in even dramatic ways - or worse yet that you just can’t do something by yourself. That is one of your most admirable qualities I think.
2. You know if through the past 2 years if you add in business debt left over for our drastic downsizing(which is really ours anyway-of course we should) you have found a way to pay off significantly more than $90,000! Plus save up 6 months of all of our normal expenses and still meet maximums in our Roths and education funds for the kids, and after only 3 years we owe less than half of what the house is worth by even the most conservative estimate. I know you will be a little embarrassed by the specifics but I also know you don’t really see it quite from that perspective and I am not sure you realize that I don’t think I have ever paid a bill since we were married I don’t know how much our mortgage is even – shoot I don’t even know how much I get paid. So YOU have done All of this! And you forgot the $1400 for my driveline and the crazy $740 tune-up several really big trips and I am sure I am missing several
3. Who thought this wouldn’t last!!? Well I guess I can think of a few people, but we all obviously vastly underestimated your patience and forgiveness. I am glad you are “loving it”. If I had been as sick as you are for as long as you have been I am not sure I could even remember what it was like to “love” anything.
I love you!
I will do my best to make the next 12 years of marriage much better than even these have been.
I really has been 16 years since we met…. Wow! We have to be sure we make our kids understand how dangerous it can be to pick up on some guy in a dance club to make your boyfriend jealous.
I love reading posts like this one. I just want to jump up and shout "Hooray!" after every numbered item. I'm so happy for you guys!
That is one beautiful blog. I almost feel like a pepping TOM. Glad to hear these things. Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations! You two have been together just a little longer than me and Ana. Good job! We are actually trying for kids now.
Great job with the debt too! We got out of debt 2 years ago, which was great, after many years of trying to get it paid off.
Then we bought our house and promtply got back into debt! Now we are working to get back out again.
You two make for a great couple and some beautiful children.
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