Twenty

A lot can change in 20 years. Bryan and I were just 21 and 19 when we got married. He just home from his mission as I graduated with an associates degree from Snow College. Two years of living somewhat independently on our own, we certainly felt old enough and ready to get married. Hindsight (and wedding pictures) show just what babies we still were. So sometimes I like to joke that we raised each other. Because we certainly have done a lot of growing up in these past 20 years. And though in the fundamentals we haven't changed much, moving into and through our adult years we've changed quite a lot as we've discovered what kind of individuals we were each becoming. I'm more emotional than I used to be, but much more confident, independent and outgoing. Who would've guessed that I'd become a brunette, drive a truck, and be passionate about yoga and biking? And Bryan...heavens, the man is a chicken farmer, is fascinated by any all things relating to guns and has a garage full of power tools! None of which I envisioned when the two of us said "I do" all those many years ago.

People change as they grow, as they learn, as they experience life. I'm glad that Bryan and I have grown together...even when growing up sometimes pushes our interests and opinions even further apart. The two of us are very different individuals, indeed. The past 20 years has definitely shed light on that time and time again. But as the time passes we cling fast to the things we have in common. Which, thankfully, are the most important things. We are in complete sync when it comes to our values and morals and the things we hold most dear. So clinging together for the past 20 years, helping each other grow, sticking tight through both the ups and downs has been something that we are not only willing to do, but have found even deeper love because of.

A perfect example of how we've changed....take a look at our rings on our wedding day. The traditional wedding ring picture shows my small solitaire surrounded 8 little diamonds, set in gold. Bryan's band also in gold with diagonal grooves running all around the ring. They were exactly what we wanted, perfect for us...at the time. Our tastes have changed over the years. So when 8 years ago, I lost the solitaire from my ring, rather than replace the diamond, we decided to replace the entire ring...because though I do tend to be quite sentimental about things, in this case it wasn't the exact ring that was important to me, but the symbol behind it. My ring now is white gold, a square diamond solitaire accompanied by a band with 10 small diamond chips....8 of them taken from my original ring. Two separate rings rather than soldered together. And though Bryan's tastes had also changed, he continued to wear his original ring until this past December when he picked out a tungsten band.

They say that in today's world making it to 20 years of marriage is quite an accomplishment. And I don't doubt that is true. But I smiled when after being congratulated on our impressive feat, Bryan let out some sort of noise...a cross between a laugh and a psahw, maybe? And said, "You think this is something? You just wait till we hit our 40th. You can congratulate us then."