eighteen.

This is Big Al in college...when I first met him. When we showed this photo to Max he said "Which one is Dad?" We pointed out Alan and Max said, "I didn't think that could be Dad! He looks too hip!" Seriously? (The other guy is Dave, one of Al's best friends.) 1989

Time flies, we all know that. But 18 years?! It seems impossible. It was a quick meeting in college then he went off to a mission and I moved to New York.

My first trip to NYC. 1990

Countless letters and cassette tapes (I'll explain what those are if you don't know. Call me.) while he served in California. Then when he was about to come home I left for my mission.

Our engagement photo. 1993

May 15, 1993

Three years of writing made for a perfect courtship. We were engaged a month after I got home and married 3 months after that. We both worked to get through college and build our first home.

We got to celebrate our 2nd anniversary in that home. Then 3 years later we were off to Connecticut for Law School. I worked full time and he busted his butt in law school. We loved our little house in Connecticut and if we could move all of our loved ones to Connecticut I think we'd move back in a heartbeat. Finally, Al graduated Magna Cum-laude (#6 in his class---yes, I'm proud.) and we found out we would at long last become parents.

Max, 6 days old. 2002

 It was a long struggle but little Max graced our home and we were blissfully happy. Just as he turned 2 we moved to Utah. Three years later Miss Lilly came into our lives.

I've left out a lot of the highlights over our 18 years. It's impossible to include even a teeny tiny fraction of all the memories. How grateful I am though to have this be my life.

We couldn't have guessed what our story would be when we started out but we couldn't have written a better one. How lucky I feel to have married such a good man. He's so concerned with my happiness. I love him with all of my heart and feel completely unworthy of him as my partner. And he's a fabulous Daddy to our babies! If there is one thing I'm proud of in my life it is this marriage that we have worked so hard to keep. Anything worth having is worth putting in the effort. I don't like saying that marriage is work. It's something different than work but I'm not adept enough with words to know how to explain it. I just know we are going to keep loving each other. Continue to smile and laugh together through the good and the tough times. We are blessed and lucky...what more could I ask for?!

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart! I love you!!!