35 and Counting!

Today is my parents' 35th wedding anniversary.   And those 35 years have been full of love for each other and for us kids. 

Here they are at their wedding- this was the entire wedding party and all of the guests.  Small event!

Looking very late 70's cool leaving the ceremony:

And quite relaxed at their backyard reception a few days later:

Here's Mom and Dad visiting good friends in France.  I'm guessing late 80's or early 90's on this one!

This would be late 90's I think, during my college years:

And a somewhat more recent one from 2005:

Along with one at my wedding to Paul (in the same church where my parents were married!):

My parents are, one could say, a serious case of opposites attract.  Mom is outgoing, a bit crazy (in a good way!), goofy, intense, and loves to seek out new things and go new places.  Dad is quieter, more reserved (although he does have a wicked sense of humor- sarcasm, mostly), and is quite content with life just the way it is.  But in 35 years, through ups and downs, through the raising of three children, and now into their lives as "empty-nesters," they've made it work.  Over the years they showed my brothers and I that you have to continue to work at your relationships, to adjust when necessary, to step back and look and consider the other person's point of view from time to time.  They've showed us through their commitment to each other and to us kids that no matter what family is most important and that's something that my brothers and I keep in mind in our own marriages.  

So happy 35th anniversary Mom and Dad!  You're fantastic parents, grandparents, and friends and I love you both very much!