Our 18th Wedding Anniversary

DH & I just returned from a little getaway to celebrate our anniversary. This is the card I made for him (from the BasicGrey Bittersweet card kit.) Eighteen years of wedded bliss :) It is hard to believe we have been together for more than half of our lives. Every year on our anniversary dh says, "our time together is going too fast!" We have had so much fun and it is going by in a blink. We met in college at the ripe old age of 19. A mutual friend, Blaire, introduced us in August 1986. There was an immediate "pull". I don't know how else to describe it. Blaire introduced us, and dh and I chatted for hours. We quickly became the best of friends. On March 3, 1987 we had our first date. It was magic! Doug planned the most romantic proposal and we wed on June 22, 1991. The priest who married us had us take a personality test (required by the Catholic Church). He said he had never seen a couple score so high for compatibility. We knew that already, but nice to have a little reassurance :)

We were on the five year plan to have children, but due to unexplained infertility, it ended up being the 11 year plan. We were told by our doctors that 80% of marriages fail from the stress of infertility issues. It was a six year emotional roller coaster, but we were always there for each other. We prayed for a healthy baby, and we have two beautiful little princesses. When the girls were diagnosed with autism in 2004, the specialist told us that 80% of marriages fail due to the stresses of having a special needs child. Dh and I looked at each other, and trying not to laugh we replied, "Yeah, we're good." 2004 was an eye opening year trying to figure out which therapies to try, but we learned together. We continue to research new therapies to help our girls reach their full potential. I think it has helped us appreciate each and every milestone even more. Our girls are so much fun, and they find joy in everything. Life is good.