Celebrating

I am the luckiest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDIVJbetNR4&feature=youtu.be

My best friend, Rick and I are celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary today. We were married 9/18/76 at the Jewel Box in St. Louis. We had moved to St. Louis 5 months before the wedding and all of our friends and family traveled to attend. It was the 4th annual Great St. Louis Balloon Race and Rick told everyone he arranged to have it for our wedding! They just had the 39th Race yesterday! Like our incredible relationship, it just gets better every year.

We do not remember all of the 35 anniversary celebrations...we wish we had kept a journal or scrapbook. But we do remember some of them. And every one of them, we talk about how "someday" we are going to go to Italy. In honor of our 35th wedding anniversary today, we are planning our dream trip for next year.

We celebrated #10 in Puerto Vallarta. I won the trip from a radio station. Felt pretty nauseous the entire trip...didn't know we were pregnant with our precious Emma.

We didn't go back to the Jewel Box until our 13th anniversary.

I love these pictures as they capture our family in that moment in time.



Balloons remained a theme on occasion...on our 20th anniversary, Rick sent me 20 roses, three days in a row. The first day they were yellow, for his friend of 20 years. The second, pink, for his wife of 20 years. And the 3rd day, red, for his love of 20 years. I had a custom stool made for him to use in his classroom...and delivered it with 20 balloons.

Our 30th anniversary, Kacy and Emma surprised us with family and friends at their apartment building's recreation center. The biggest surprise was that my mom and dad came down from Nebraska to celebrate with us...very special.

People ask us what our secret is...Rick says "Love the Momma", I say he is "Simply Irresistable."

We have survived hard times and enjoyed the view from many a hill we have climbed. I am safest when I am with him. He is my hero, my best friend, and the love of my life. I look forward to our dream trip to Italy!