The Love of My Life -throughout eternity

John

Blowing Rock, NC

17th Anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated his birthday and he always says, "It beats the alternative." How true! We learn to appreciate every single day, every single event and all things in between.

We have a beautiful love story. We met in 1987. We both worked for Allstate in different departments, but occasionally, our paths crossed. I knew him to be a man of integrity and very well respected among our peers. Our first date was on Halloween in 1990. I went over to his home and fixed dinner together and answered the door handing out treats. I knew the relationship would go somewhere when I noticed that he had two potato peelers. The romance flourished from there.

We were married on September 20, 1991 in a gazebo at sunset with our immediate family and a few close friends present. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful memory. We did something that I will never forget. We had not really made it public knowledge that we were dating and so we had approximately 100 announcements printed and we mailed them at lunch time on our wedding day. It was a Friday, so imagine everyone's surprise when they got their mail on Monday and there was our announcement. Shock waves ran out among the community. We had pulled it off and kept it quiet.

We honeymooned just north of Charleston, SC at a Bed and Breakfast Inn that was a beautiful low country home. We were between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, so we had the best of both worlds. We enjoyed She Crab Soup, Fish Chowder, and Calabash Shrimp. We shopped and bought the angel that still tops our Christmas Tree. We love the area so much that we have returned there often, but truly, there is only one honeymoon!

We have traveled the world. This is a passion that we both have. We have been to Europe several times. London, Paris, Nice, Berlin, Munich, Venice, Rome, and Florence to just name a few. I was treated to Mother's Day lunch on the Eurostar traveling through the fields of mustard and lavendar in Italy. We have been on several cruises, including Alaska, The Carribean, The Panama Canal, and our favorite, Hawaii. We loved the cruises. Everything is in one location and the food and entertainment is always really good. We have traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada. We have been in all but two states and maybe, someday soon, we'll get to those. This summer we hope to do a little mini-mission for the church by volunteering to be guides at Palmyra during the annual pageant. What fun that will be!

There will be many more posts about this wonderful person in my life. Here are just a few more things about him that shape him and make him the perfect match for me.

Father of four

Grandfather of three

Step-Father of two

Step-grandfather of three

brother of ten

He's worked for the same company for thirty-two years, quite an accomplishment in this day and age. He's had several leadership callings in the church and always gets accolaids for his accomplishments.

He's tender and caring, fair and just. He has a sense of humor that keeps us both laughing. He is passionate about politics, guns, and other beliefs that he holds near and dear.

I am so proud to call him my husband.