I remember having running races with him all the time, and winning. He doesn't remember that! I remember thinking he was the funniest boy I had ever met. Crazy, but funny! Then I remember how he would sit across the room in Children's Church and pull out his hair and show me the roots. Attractive.
His family left the church several years before mine did and I didn't see him too much. However, he rode the same bus as my best friend, Lora, in middle school. I remember he and his friends would throw spitballs at us on the bus.
About the time I was 15 and he was 16 both our families were at the same church again, Ridgecrest. We became friends and started dating when I was 17. We only dated a few months and he broke up with me and went off to college in Florida. I was still in high school. I was really sad. I remember telling my mom, I thought I was going to marry him.
A few months later he was back in Durham. Florida did not work out, long....and somewhat funny (now) story. He was working at an Exxon while he was trying to figure what to do next and I wandered in late one night after cheering for a basketball game. I was shocked to see him and he was shocked to see me and we became fast friends. After being friends for most of that year we began to date just about the time we both started college.
A couple year later while we were still both in college we got married. We were BABIES. I was just 1 month shy of turning 21 and he had just turned 21. It's hard to believe it has been 19 years. Most have been good. Year 1 was ROUGH, I really wondered what I had gotten myself into. Year 4 was really sad, I wondered if I would ever be happy again. Year 12 was hard, the building market crashed and we are still recovering! Year 17 wasn't the best. But we've had a good run. I'm glad we keep working at it. I'm sure the next 19 years will have some rough, hard, sad, difficult times too. It's good to know they pass. Things do get better. The bad doesn't last forever. We've had 6 babies and buried 1.
We've lived in 9 houses. Randy has had 4 jobs. We've buried 5 grandparents. We've changed churches. We've had 2 cats, 3 dogs, countless fish, and a gerbil. I've learned the proper way to cut an orange, and believe me that was not an easy lesson! He's learned who has the best crunchy ice and the correct ratio of ice to diet coke.
The landscape of our lives has changed a lot in 19 years. It has been busy and wonderful and heartbreaking and hard. We've driven each other crazy. We have made each other laugh and we have fussed and we have begun to learn about really loving one another. We have gotten some stuff right and a lot of stuff wrong.
Most of our wedding gifts have now been replaced; Crockpots, toasters and blenders, pots, and pans.......I really do think couples should wait 20 years and THEN have a wedding shower! Now I would make much better selections!
So to celebrate this year we aren't doing anything super fancy. I think we will go out to dinner. Andrew has an open house at school and Lydia has clogging.
I do know this. I'm glad I married him. He's gotten better with age. I sure do love him. Happy Anniversary Randy!
Kim
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