Can it be 12 years?

After my last post, I feel almost guilty doing this one. But 10 days ago, my sweetheart and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. It's hard to believe that it has been that long.

We certainly have accomplished a lot in that time. The first 10 years Daniel was going to school and specialty training. We moved 5 times (in the first 10 years). We have lived in 4 different states. Bought 2 houses. Sold one. We had 4 children. We have owned 7 cars. We survived one deployment and solo birth. We have been on many vacations, mostly to see family, none very exotic. We have made many quilts and caught a lot of fish!

My sister gave us a sign that fits pretty much perfect. (I wanted to hang it on the front door.) It reads, "A fisherman lives here with the catch of his life."

One day Daniel and I will do something really special for our anniversary. Our 5th, we had just moved to Iowa for his internship and he got NO vacation time. Our 10th we had just moved to PA and bought a new house. This year we were going to do something big, but just ran out of time. Daniel wanted to take me to NYC to see a show and have some alone time, but our anniversary was on a Sunday and the weekend before we took the family that won the auction trip to the cabin. All our other weekends are booked in some way with work or church activities. My mom said she would take the kids on a Friday night in September and Dan and I can go to dinner and a movie. That's fine with me! I'll take dinner that I don't have to cook and clean up, or cut up and feed a baby or take a number to say something at the table. And I'll take a movie where I can sit next Dan and hold his hand without 2 or 3 more people climbing on top of us, and where I can actually hear the movie without answering questions. Yes that will be just fine!