15 years...

i was 25 and he was 27... and here's a little tidbit you may not know... we got married in las vegas... {for the record... not drive through style or by an elvis officiant... but in the outdoor gardens of the flamingo hilton with our closest family and friends}

 

i always thought that i might regret that decision... getting married away from home, not in the church that i attended my whole life...  to not have a full reception, a wedding cake or a first dance...

 

but as it turns out... i've never regretted the destination of where we were married... {yes... going to get our marriage license felt a little sketchy... and there were some people dear to me who were unable to attend...} but all in all... it was perfect for us... a lot less stress than a traditional wedding and really a lot of fun...

we exchanged vows on august 25th, 1999... 

 

i remember that day so well...

 

watching them set up the white chairs on the lawn from my hotel suite... laughing hysterically with my maid of honor after she had her hair done and it slightly resembled flo's hair from the tv show alice... my mom holding back tears... taking the elevator down and walking through the lobby of the hotel in my gown... my dad partaking in a margarita {or 2} prior to walking me down the aisle because he was SO nervous... having a wonderful dinner with everyone afterwards at the embers... taking pictures at the bellagio... walking along the strip... strangers congratulating us along the way and touching my dress for good luck...

 & being able to have that first dance the day after we were married at an outdoor concert... {we were announced because my dad was sneaky and told the band that we were just married the day before...}

 

you start off marriage naïve... it's blissful... not really realizing what lies ahead...

 

 i remember that first year in our cute apartment... going out, special dinners, decorating like nobody's business... the following year we bought our home and then real life kicked in... house issues, car problems, bills, miscarriages, lost jobs, losing loved ones to sickness... it's been quite a journey since that day... we've been through a lot... ups and downs... good times and bad... marriage is hard work and not always easy... 

but journeying through this life of ours together, with our two beautiful daughters, is so worth it...