Celebrating Anniversaries

Today is our 13th anniversary. 13 years with my husband. 7 homes, 3 kids, 1 dog and lots of memories made along the way. We try to do something special for every anniversary but when you have little kids, it can be a little difficult, especially when you don’t always have a good babysitter. Some years we have been able to go on a trip. Others we have only been able to go out to dinner. And some we have celebrated at home. It really just depends on what is going on, our budget and all of that. No matter what, it is a special day.

Even though he has been in the Military for a while, we have only really missed two anniversaries together. I know how lucky that it. I know others have missed almost all of them. During those years I tried to do something special for me. 5 years he was in Iraq.

I put the kids to bed early. Ordered a steak. We might have chatted online. That is a Military anniversary for you.

I say we have been lucky with anniversaries because for a few years we should have missed them but for whatever reason he was home on August 3rd. For our 6th anniversary, he was in the field most of the summer but they just happen to have a break for a few days over our anniversary. For our 7th, he was deployed again and had R&R scheduled for early July. That got pushed back and we ended up spending our anniversary together in Catalina, where we went for our honeymoon.

This year is kind of a crazy year with Guard and his job but luckily he has the day off. I am so happy to be able to spend it with him again. No trips this year but it will be nice to spend all day together.

I hope that in the future we can travel more for our anniversary. I would love to go back to Catalina, go on a cruise or even a short getaway somewhere close by to where we live.

Anniversaries are special. It is the day you look back on your years together and think about all you have been through.

You think about the good times, the bad times, the easy times and the hard times. You think about who you were as a person when you got married and who you are now. You think about the future and where you want to be in five or ten years. You think about all of this. The anniversary reminds you. How could it not?

It doesn’t matter if you spend the day together, it is still special. It doesn’t matter if you make a home cooked meal and eat it after the kids are in bed or if you spend 10 days in Italy together. It doesn’t matter if you get each other amazing gifts or maybe just pick flowers from the garden to put on the table. The reason it is so special is the same reason your birthday is so special. It is the celebration of the two of you, for however long you have been together. It is a celebration of what you have together and the love you still have for one another.

In this world, where so many couples are not making it. It is something to smile at. To get excited about. To love someone for so many years is a special thing. To watch yourselves literally grow old together. It’s an amazing feeling. So here is to celebrating anniversaries and making the most of your time together, however you spend it.

Do you always celebrate your anniversaries? What do you like to do together? What do you do if you have to be apart?