The Golden Anniversary

My parents celebrate 50 years of marriage today! That's a milestone that is rarely heard of today and that most couples never reach!

My parents met in 1957 and married one year later in 1958! My dad had just finished college and serving his time in the Marines. They moved around all over the country from city to city since my dad worked in the oil and gas industry. My oldest brother was born in 1959 and then they had their second son in 1965. I came into the picture a little later in 1976 :) That's when my mom decided they would settle down in our small hometown. My dad has always traveled for work while my mom stayed home with the kids! My mom is an excellent cook and was completely devoted to raising her children and taking care of our household affairs while my dad worked away for months at a time. I recall a memory from my childhood of my mom putting on my dad's wader's, grabbing a shotgun, and taking care of a water moccasin that had made it's way up to our front porch from the pond in front of our house! As kids we loved it when our dad traveled because then we would take vacations to see him and it gave us a lot of exposure to traveling while we were young. My dad put in a lot of hard work and finally started his own company while I was in High School so he could be home but then he eventually sold it. My dad loves to travel (I think I inherited those genes) so he went back to work as a contractor for another company and back to traveling when I was in college! I'm not sure he will ever retire! He is the strong father figure type with a tender heart especially when it comes to his little girl (Yes, I am still a daddy's girl!) He has been a dedicated father and husband. My parents have been through good times, great times, and even their fair share of struggles but the fact remains that they love each other very much, were and still are 100% devoted to their marriage. Even if you ask them today if they would do all over again without changing a thing, both of them reply with the same answer "Yes, definitely!"

Happy Anniversary to my parents! I love you very much and I hope you know you are an inspiration!