Joe and I spent our anniversary this year apart. He’s on the road, I’m on the farm. Both of us working as hard as we can to put together some type of future for ourselves and our family in what Joe has begun to call The Eco-colypse™. If this heat wave doesn’t convince you that we’re heading for some very rough climate-related catastrophes, I don’t know what will.
We spent our anniversary apart last year too, but this year was a little different. July 20, 2022, marks our 20th anniversary, and it really sucked to be away from my best friend on this very special day. We both took a leap of faith back then. We barely knew each other. We both had young kids and exes and messy lives in many ways. We each brought some baggage along for the ride, and we began our lives together in the midst of a lot of social and economic turmoil. The odds were against us, honestly.
Which makes our 20th anniversary all the sweeter. We weathered those storms together. Job losses and moves. Being apart from our kids. Having our kids around. Joe almost dying in the Gulf of Mexico. The Trump years. We’ve seen some shit. For some reason, we stuck it out together and came out the other side closer and more committed than ever to building our lives together.
I don’t know many couples who could travel the U.S. in a 5th wheel with a cat and a deaf/blind dog for almost three years. Or turn 25 acres of Arkansas swamp into an outdoor paradise. Joe and I lived in three of the biggest cities in the United States, saw Prince in concert in Minneapolis, met Michael Douglas in Quebec City, and hiked Mt. Hood. We’ve kayaked, snorkeled, ridden horses, sailed, zip-lined, hiked, ridden bikes, fished, hunted, and camped together. We saw the Andromeda galaxy with our own eyes on a remote ridge in Yosemite. Probably with a mountain lion nearby. We had the pleasure of knowing the very best Good Boy ever in Poe.
We have three very different, very amazing kids who make us so proud.
So much love and adventure crammed into 20 years. We got married on Moon Landing Day, and I can’t think of any date more appropriate. Our marriage has been Awesome and Dangerous™ (another Joe-ism). I can’t wait to see what the next 20 hold for us.
Happy Anniversary, Babe. You still are, and always will be, my Mr. Darcy.
