Ten Years Ago Today...

Keith and I have been married 10 years today! Wow! Here are some pictures of us, then and now. Look how young we were! Unfortunately, Keith is out of town working until Saturday, so we're planning to celebrate next weekend. We're not exactly sure yet what we're going to do to celebrate, but whatever it be, it will be a treat to spend a whole day and night together without kiddos. The last ten years have been an adventure with a lot of trials but a lot of joys. The day we got married in the Seattle temple the sky and weather was typical of one of those Seattle spring days. Some blue sky, some white puffy clouds, and some darker clouds with a little bit of rain here and there, and I remember thinking that's what our life together would be like - sunshine mixed in with some darker clouds, and that has been true. It's been an adventure, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm grateful for a loving, hard-working, caring husband who loves me and our family. Here's to the next 10 years, or should I say the next 50! By the way, the song playing first on our blog is "Our Song" that we danced to at our reception. I love this quote from President Hinckley regarding marriage:

"You will not always be young and handsome or young and beautiful. There will come a time in life when instead of growing taller you will begin to shrink. I recall recently sitting down at the dinner table with my wife. I looked across the table at her hands, once so beautiful, now gnarled and wrinkled. I found myself with tears in my eyes. Pictures of the days of her young womanhood flooded my memory. I saw her when the children were small and she was young and strong, taking them everywhere and looking after their every need. She cooked and sewed, she washed and kept house, she went to their performances, she read books and attended concerts, she served in the Church in a variety of positions, and she was so very bright and beautiful and happy.

We have now been married for more than 62 years. That is a long time. We have grown old and wrinkled. But our love and respect and loyalty one for another have remained undimmed. Our children have grown. We have grandchildren who are grown, and we have great-grandchildren who are well on their way. I could not wish for any of you more than I have had in my companionship with my beautiful wife.

A good marriage requires time. It requires effort. You have to work at it. You have to cultivate it. You have to forgive and forget. You have to be absolutely loyal one to another. Most of you will marry and have children. They will become the source of your greatest pride and happiness. I hope so. Rear them in love. You don’t have to kick them around. You don’t have to get angry with them. You just have to love them. If they make mistakes, forgive them and help them to avoid a repetition. But let them see in you their truest and best friend, their constant support.
All of this can come to pass if you make this most important decision, one guided by prayer as well as instinct, of choosing a dear companion who will be yours through thick and thin forever, throughout all eternity."