July 3rd-the Love Story

I have something in my life that many people don’t even believe in.

I am part of a magnificent team and a great partnership based upon mutual respect, admiration and yes, Love. That is the part that I find many people don’t really believe in, the Love. I must admit that there was a time in my life when I wasn’t sure I believed in it either. As I look around at the people I know and I look at their relationships and my heart fills with gratitude because I realize that I truly am luckier than most, at least in this area. I am blessed. I have a great Love in my Life.

I’m writing this tribute today because on July 3, Kevin and I celebrate the commitment we made to Love. We made the promises and sealed the commitment when we got married on July 3, 1994.

We did the dating and courtship thing the old fashioned way. We dated for 2 ½ years and then we ran off to Vegas in the middle of the night. We didn’t elope though, we told everyone. It was just so hot that summer that it was cooler and easier to drive at night. We still live within a driving distance of about 6 hours (or so depending on how fast you drive!) from Vegas. We stood in line with a motley crew of very strange and entertaining characters at the Clark County Courthouse to get our wedding license, where even in our dressed down version of the traditional wedding attire, we were overdressed. We then hopped into a limousine and again stood in line with another cast of funny and unusual characters at the most popular wedding chapel in Vegas. In 1994 that was the “Little White Wedding Chapel” because of the big sign that said “Michael Jordan got married here”. Since one of our sons was (and still is!) a basketball encyclopedia, we chose that chapel for the “photo op” in front of that sign! Is there a better reason to choose a wedding chapel? Our wedding was fun and exciting and I would highly recommend Vegas if you are looking for the no-stress, just fun kind of wedding!

We drove to Las Vegas and got married and the very next day, millions upon millions of fireworks went off all over the entire U.S.A.! It was glorious!

We drove back home. And then we moved in together. Seems kind of backwards in this day in age to actually wait until you’re married to move in, but it worked for us.

In the past 13 years we have been through our share of ups and downs. As I look at the photos from that day I see that we each have a few more pounds and a few more gray hairs, maybe a wrinkle or two that wasn’t there then. But as I look at Kevin I still see that same handsome beautiful human being that I have been in Love with since the first day I laid eyes on him. In the past 13 years, we have had financial windfalls (love those times!) and we have had financial difficulties (rather forget those times!). We had the “dream” baby (yes, she really was a “dream” but that is a different story), a miscarriage that broke our hearts, another beautiful baby girl and just when we thought we had completed our family, a surprise pregnancy that brought us another baby girl. I don’t think either one of us ever contemplated even in our wildest dreams having 5 kids, but that is how life has worked out for us. Did I mention that we are blessed?

Kevin is my best friend. I haven’t counted but I know that I could probably count the real fights that we have had in the past 15 ½ years on one hand. We are very lucky in that we have that compatibility thing down. There is no bickering, fighting (at least between us, now the sisters, that is a different story!) or finding fault with one another and for that we are both grateful. Not only that we work together every single day and we have worked together every day for our entire relationship. Apparently that is uncommon!

Many people say they don’t believe in soul mates, I say “Okay, but Kevin is mine!”. We communicate without words far too often to believe it to be a coincidence. “Finishing the other’s sentences” is simple, easy and effortless. What we have is the closest thing to my definition of a “soul mate” that I have ever seen or experienced. We are on the same vibration. You don’t have to believe it but we experience it so we know it is true.

We are a team so each of us have had to carry more of the load at different times. That is the way a great marriage works. Both parties give 110% because they want to, because of the Love, because of the commitment and the joy, because life is sweeter when you do.

Great Love is out there. I know because I experience it everyday. My life is fuller, happier and more joyful because I am lucky enough to be married to this man that I love so much. I am Grateful beyond measure.

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This post is included in the Carnival of Family Life located this week at The Expatriot’s Kitchen.
July 9, 2007.

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This post is featured in the Carnival of Love, Dating and Glamor located at Love and Personal.com
July 10, 2007