Saturday, October 3, 2015

Rain, more Rain and Our 40th Anniversary…

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We are sitting tight here at Dickens RV Park in Moncure, North Carolina watching the rain caused by hurricane Joaquin. With initial forecasts all over the place for where Joaquin was headed we added three more days which will have us leaving on Sunday. Whether or not we leave then depends entirely on the rain and hurricane…

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In the meantime we have been sneaking out from time to time for some fun between rain events. One day we were even able to sneak back over to Pittsboro and Rock Ridge Park and played another round of disc golf. We got a whole 18 holes in before any rain and made one more visit to the Carolina Brewery for $3 buck pint night.

Besides running up to Raleigh to make a Costco and Camping World run we haven’t been doing a whole lot else. However, a big anniversary of ours is on October 3rd. We were married a long, long time ago when we were just children. Once Saturday rolled around we have now been married 40 years, yes that right FORTY YEARS! How did we get to be old enough to be married forty years!

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What a great ride our forty years have been. The day we got married in San Antonio in the early 1970’s we were pretty poor. I had just gotten out of the Air Force and was attending college on the G.I. Bill. Sharon was waiting tables in a Pizza Inn. Money was indeed tight but we always found a way to have fun. We even rolled newspapers for a weekly circular on Wednesday nights just so we could have some fun money.

Sharon went to dental assisting school and I kept getting college degrees (after all school was fun to me). We moved from San Antonio to College Station for me to finish my schooling. Our son was born in Bryan and after getting by Bachelor’s Degree we moved to Austin so I could work for Texas Parks and Wildlife. Disgruntled with all the bureaucracy after a few years we moved back to the Bryan-College Station area where our daughter was born.

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The next several decades saw us raising children and making a living. Once both of our kids left home and got on with their lives we started planning the next chapter in our lives… and here we are! Forty years of ups and downs, sideways and laterals. Was it all fun? Heck no! But I wouldn’t trade any of it for any other life. Through all the trials and tribulations a forty year marriage takes on two young people there has been nothing better than the forty years we have spent together.

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In retirement, forty years after we first got hitched we are probably closer now than we have ever been. Do we still have flaws? Of course we do but the only difference now is that we not only more tolerant of each others flaws we actually embrace some of them. I love my bride, Sharon, heaps and hope to remain married to her another 40 years or whatever I am so blessed to get…  No better place to spend those next years than with Sharon in the passenger seat on the road of retirement…

21 comments:

  1. Such a sweet blog. Congratulations on your 50th anniversary. You are a special couple.

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  2. Such a sweet blog. Congratulations on your 50th anniversary. You are a special couple.

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  3. Congratulations on 40 years. Its amazing how time flies by and like you we love this lifestyle and being so close to each other.
    Wishing you guys many more years of bliss.

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  4. This is a lovely tribute to your wife and marriage. May you have many more wonderful years to celebrate!

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  5. Congrats on 40 years. Love the old pics.

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  6. 40 for us back in August. Ditto all you said so well. The old beach pic could have been of your mother, Sharon. You are definitely her daughter, and have grown old with grace and style (the pics are proof of that). Now John on the other hand, ...JK. Best wishes for forty more. Stay dry

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  7. Congratulations on your 40 years and wishes for many more.
    Very nice tribute.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  8. Congratualtions!! We just celebrated 39 in August and had two children, as well, with our son the oldest and daughter the youngest. Our road together has been one we wouldn't trade either. Be safe with all that rain:)

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  9. Congrats on 40 years. I so totally understand and love the idea that you have just grown closer and more tolerant over the years. That is as it should be. Don't wash away with all the water.

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  10. Nice...congratulations! Love the 70's sideburns...lol.

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  11. Ha ha.....you guys were a couple hippies! Love it!! Enjoyed the pics :-)

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  12. Happy Anniversary and congratulations on 40 years of marriage. We celebrated 38 years last June, so are not far behind you. Your post was beautifully written. Loved the pictures.

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  13. Fun pictures. Happy Anniversary and stay dry!

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  14. Ah, the seventies. Love those mutton chops and the stache.

    Congratulations on forty years. That's awesome.

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  15. Happy 40th you two! Stay dry in N.C.!

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  16. Happy Anniversary and loved the blog but sure don't recognize some of the couples you have photos of on it. :)

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  17. 40 years, two wonderful children and happiness together seems about as close to perfect as any of us can get. Congratulations!

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  18. Congratulations on your 40th anniversary. Love the old pictures. We both laughed at your long hair and mustache because it reminded us of old pictures of me. Be careful in all the wetness.

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