Twenty two years in 2020!

Looks like we made it!  Twenty two years in 2020.

This anniversary was ultra special to me.  More than other years gone by, this wedding anniversary was a mega milestone.

Why? Why highlight the 22 year mark?

I say…”why not?”

Every year is valid and every year is worthy of accolades.  In particular 2020 was peculiar. All the more reason to pop the bubbly, light the candles, pull out the video and pictures, and pin it on for a WIN!  I’m wearing this anniversary like a badge of honor.

Yes I’m the cheesy girl who gets the anniversary candle out every year! #tradition

Together, we rang in the new year with a kiss and toast to 2020.  Bright eyed, full of hope and anticipation of the new opportunities on the horizon.  Our winter was as mild as our first two and half months of the year.  Calm and not much to talk about. BUT THEN…out of the clear blue sky, March ascended on everyone like a grenade.

We barley made it out of the snowy Colorado mountains back to Texas just in time for the world wide mandated home shelter in place.  We look back in awe and wander at our naive mind set.

Then just like that we were at home, withering a three month lengthy lock down with each another and a fiesty teenager to boot.  Naturally, there was fear, tears, anxiety, parenting and much explaining to do.  We all had quandry and perplexed minds. We plugged into the news like it was our job. We panicked with the rest of the planet and worried about elderly loved ones, job security and economic fall out.  We put the kabosh on the teen queen’s social life and ours for that matter.  Like every one else we were dumbstruck to an extent.  We ordered face masks off the internet and Mr Chicken Fry demanded we wear them! But slowly, we found a groove and managed to unplug, play games, do chores, organize and give the kitchen more attention than it deserved.

Then…Texas got the ok for re-open.  And in a weeks time, death tragically struck our family and it felt like an atomic bomb exploded in our hearts.  Five days later, when we thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, I contracted the Corona virus. The anger, the shame, the guilt, the illness, the emery feeling was gut wrenching.  Mr. Chicken Fry and the teen queen (along with all of my extended family) were told to lock down for 14 more days!!

For the first time in our marriage, I was the patient.  Mr. Chicken Fry was on full nurse duty.  Never have I ever been hospitalized (with the exception of giving birth) or so sick or broken that I couldn’t care for myself. He went above and beyond to be sure I was comfortable and all of my needs were met.  He delivered me food and drink! He went shopping! He told our daughter to do the laundry and empty the dishwasher.  CHORES were completed!

This year was hard. I was weak and sad. The tension was already high and now it was thick! We muttled through the additional time as best we could. The teen queen was so upset (like I got on purpose). Chicken Fry didn’t know if he wanted to contract it…or stear clear of it!  Weeks later, we realized that he and the teen queen had come down with Covid.  So there we were in the TRUSTED ER…with what seemed like a prison sentence…more time, together, in our house!!!!  It wasn’t a crowd pleaser for anyone at this point. My family spent a total of 27 days in full blown quarantine. (not including lock down)

 

During covid I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish:

Clean closets and organize drawers (CHECK)

Clean all outside windows (CHECK)

Wash car (CHECK)

WATCH HOME VIDEOS (X)

Our DVD player was busted and I never took the time to order a new one.  In excitement for our anniversary,  I bit the bullet Monday and ordered one. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER…

DVD players have come a long way!  This COMPACT DVD player from Amazon is in stock.  It comes with all of the cables and has a USB port to play a flash drive, DVD, or mini DVD.  $33 is a small price to pay to enjoy priceless fond family memories!

PS did you know that you can take all of your CAMCORDER – home videos – or cassette tapes to COST CO and have them converted to a flash drive or DVD or mini DVD.  Two tapes for $20.

27 days later, approximately 5 months of lock in, our family emerged from the ever lasting quarantine with super human strength.

Two weeks later we were on a plane headed to the Bahamas to celebrate our wellness and clear our heads with sand and salt water. Only to be locked down three hours after arrival and later forced to leave / out run a hurricane!  (NO JOKE)

Life hasn’t fully returned to normal for anyone.  We are still adjusting to the new normal of work, on line school and masks.  Recently our daughter received an acceptance letter to a university way to far from home.   GULP!   She’s all excited and tickled pink mean while I’m breaking inside.

Just the two of us??  Ok God we surrender to you!  We thank you for joining us, and keeping us together and give us the strength to keep on keeping on.

For me, and I think I can speak for Mr. Chicken Fry too, this 22 year anniversary marked the testing and perseverance of patience, privacy and commitment. It marked an awareness of our relationship and our friendship.  It was a year of deep honesty and knowing that we need one another.

A year ago I forgot our anniversary.  I was in a fog and didn’t even know the date.  I was experiencing some GOOD GRIEF and along with it was an ongoing underlying vibration.  AKA constant conflict.  I was in bad shape and felt alone.  I was robotic and feeling-less.  Covid-19 had a way of healing some of the pain.

March slowed us down.  It gave us back a sense of what is really real and valuable. Prioritized some areas of our marriage. The scramble, the rush, the chaos we created was all dialed back.  It forced us to get closer and rely solely on each other.  It took the girlfriends and buddies out of the equation for a moment. The steady stream of teenagers in and out was nixed and in an instant it was ground hog day again and again.

It was reflective of those early dating and first year married days!  I caught myself so many times smiling and laughing in remembrance of what it was before kids, jobs, bills, family drama and It felt fresh and new. We forced our child to listen to.  our favorite music and watch old movies like Top Gun.  We drug her into our world and it was nice.

Speaking of which, I dug out my wedding dress from my parents house! She’s been packed away for 22 years! Preserved and hermetically sealed in a box! To commemorate the anniversary, I pulled her out and stepped back into time.

Some might call it a revival or renewal of the marriage and commitment.  What I know is that 22 years ago we said vows in the presence of God and in front of A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE. We aren’t perfect, but we aren’t quitters. We have a long way to go God willing.  I pray for many more healthy happy years together. Doing life is complicated and I’d rather be complicated with Carter than anyone else on the planet.

So it didn’t quite zip but that doesn’t mean I’m going to quit!

It’s with a humble heart I wish you Happy Anniversary Carter!  22 years!  Let’s keep fighting, forgiving and pushing toward the goal line.  Dancing in the sheets.

I love you

Angi