In Ten Years

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So, a few things have happened since my husband and I married on May 27, 2006.

We have witnessed a loved one beat cancer.
But we lost a wonderful grandmother.
Then we got two equally amazing new humans.
We watched as family members relocated far away.
But then we got two members back, and we’re not going to let them go this time.

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We lost some friends.
But we made new friends.
We’ve lost jobs.
And we’ve been given some new opportunities.
We’ve seen our children go through puberty, dating, friendship struggles, and learning disabilities.
We’ve even seen our own selves change as a result of aging, menopause, memory issues, and marital conflicts.
As a result of all of this, we’ve fought a lot, learned to rely on each other even more, and grown into a closer family.

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But life?
It is not easy.

But don’t get me wrong: it’s pretty good overall.
Not every day is rainbows and unicorns, but we are healthy, we have each other, we have full bellies, we have a roof over our heads, and we are happy.
Sure, we’ve had some difficult times as a result of decisions we’ve made as a couple, but looking back, I’m not sure I’d change most of them.

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I realized how fortunate we are while taking our oldest daughter’s prom pictures in the backyard of our home that we have lived in for the past 11 years.
This yard has witnessed so much of our lives; this house has witnessed so much of our lives.

The house we moved into during the summer before Anna started kindergarten.
This is the house where we hosted a pizza dinner 10 years ago, the night before our wedding day.
When Ella was five days old, my mother, Anna, and I gave her her first bath in the kitchen sink.

The kitchen, where we have done 11+ years of homework, baked Christmas cookies, and had long discussions about boys, periods, and friendship.
Our backyard has seen our little girls grow from running around in the playhouse in Cinderella dresses to bigger little girls in prom dresses.

We built this life together here and we are extremely fortunate to be able to experience it.

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I’ve heard the life/rollercoaster analogy before, and it makes sense when I think about it.

I’m cruising along, content one minute, and then I’m on the hill, riding up, up, up, chugging along the next.
It becomes slightly unsettling while also thrilling.
Looking down and seeing things from another perspective.
From the top, everything appears to be fine, sometimes even better.
Then I reach the crest of the hill and begin my descent!
I CAN’T BREATHE!
A minute ago, everything was fine, even peaceful.
But now I’m dizzy and confused.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
But wait a second.
Oh yes.
This is good.
Much better.
No, wait.
Nope, it’s not.
Wait……
Yep, I am good again.

I used to be the passenger who would fasten my seat belt, sit in the middle row for safety, and close my eyes on this journey because I didn’t always enjoy it.
I just wanted to finish it so I could tell everyone, “I did it!”
But I’m working hard every day to learn to enjoy it.
I’m slowly getting better at it with each life experience because, as I get older, I realize how fast this ride goes.
For some, the journey is cut far too short.
Others are unable to board the ride at all.

So much will happen in ten more years…
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In ten more years…

We might be on the verge of being empty nesters when we celebrate our twentieth anniversary.
In the next ten years, we could be grandparents.
Or not.
We’d be happy either way, but it’s amazing to think about.

We will become increasingly independent over the next ten years, and our relationship will change as a result. I hope we all live long, healthy lives filled with love, happiness, and healthy, happy children.

I hope to travel more in the next ten years, owing to the whole empty nest thing.
It’s really exciting to consider.

I think I will move to the front row for the next ten years.
Open my eyes, let go of the seat belt, and scream as loudly as I can.
Because I want to take in the view this time.