At noon twenty-five years ago today, my mother walked me down the aisle to a grinning guy. He’s still grinning–thankfully.

As we kayaked yesterday, I was thinking about the bond we have.

It’s spider-web strong. Oh, it can be broken, and occasionally we get upset with each other, or more likely–I get upset with him–but then we weave a new strand and all is well again.

Like fish, we swim together, but are also each our own unique selves and we honor those differences.

Sometimes, we’re competitive, but the glory of the win only lasts for a short time. I guess we like the competition more than the end result.

Communication and Mondates have strengthened our relationship, and we value quiet moments spent in each other’s company.

From the beginning, this mountain has formed the backdrop–our relationship began here at a Halloween party in ’86 (I was an olive, he was a duck hunter); we hosted our wedding reception here in ’90; we’ve skied, snowshoed and hiked both on trail and off (including the town boundary, which was rather challenging) and know its ups and downs intimately; it’s part of our daily view from camp; it’s a beacon from other vantage points so we always know where home is when we see it on the horizon.

My guy is full of surprises and he got me again this morning. When we were dating, he would occasionally use duck tape to leave a message in his apartment window so I’d see it on my way to work. This morning, I found this on a piece of plexiglass. The. best. gift. in. the. world. My guy! I am blessed. We both are.