12 years ago and 12 years later...

A week ago, I pulled up this picture of what David and I were doing 12 years ago. It is almost hard to imagine but 12 years ago, David and I were standing in the front of Calvary Evangelical Church in Van Wert, OH declaring our love and commitment to each other. The fire didn't stop that from happening and it definitely made the day more memorable for everyone there, not just me and David. As you'd guess, the safety policy for candles changed after our wedding. I would say that David and I have had numerous unpredictable events happen in our lives since that day. Not all bad, though we have definitely had our share of unpredictable tragedies. Two of the greatest unpredictable joys are definitely the two little boys that grace our lives every day. They are amazing.

On our anniversary weekend, David and I had the opportunity to celebrate family...my extended Saylor family, Jonah and Judah, and then just the two of us. I rarely have the opportunity to visit with my Grandma Saylor, Aunt Betty and Uncle Ron. My Saylor family is fairly small, especially compared to my Shindeldecker family, and they have lived a good distance from me most of my life. So, on Saturday when David and I had the opportunity to see them, we decided to make the trip to Ohio to visit for a while.

Later that evening, David and I took the boys to Fort Wayne. Last year on vacation, one of my favorite memories was staying in the hotel room on the way home. I had sort of forgotten that Judah was only 7 months at that time and a lot easier to manage in 1 room than he is at 20 months. Nonetheless, he and Jonah loved the pool and jumping on the king sized bed. They also enjoyed daddy pushing them around on the luggage cart. After a surprisingly restful and long nights sleep, we spent most of the next day at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Besides Judah falling into a camouflaged pile of peacock poop, it was a smooth and enjoyable day.

On the evening of our anniversary, David and I dropped the kids off at Danny and Nichole's house. I was pretty ready for some time away from the boys by then. Especially after (in the short stop at our house) they managed to close the garage door while the trunk of my parents van (which we had borrowed) was up, resulting in a couple of scuffs on their trunk and a garage door that came off the track. Somehow David managed to get the garage door working again and the scuffs on my parents' van were minor. David and I went to the neighborhood pool just the two of us. It seemed like our own private pool as there were less than 20 people there. We came home and enjoyed a quiet meal again just the two of us. Getting to talk without being interrupted by the boys is a true gift and a reminder that we need to find time to do this often...not just at the end of the day when we are exhausted. It was wonderful to spend time reminscing about our year, reflecting on our wedding day, talking about our future goals, and just connecting. On days like this, it is a true gift to be reminded of the person with whom I fell in love...and to realize that my husband is still that same person.