twenty-five and counting

The right words for our anniversary this year are eluding me.

Last summer, when I glanced ahead to this moment on the calendar and started getting excited for it, for the twenty-fifth celebration of our sweet, precious little church wedding, I had a few ideas about how it might feel and about what we might do together in July, 2026. Maybe a trip, which had not been possible for so many years. Handsome wanted to plan a party, but I resisted because we had already renewed our vows five years ago, and almost everyone in our world was here for that. Surely time off together, somehow, prioritizing romance. Maybe a small gift chosen for the house or farm, which is one of our traditions. Travel, time together, great food, a token to remember. These are our anniversary traditions and maybe yours too.

As it turns out, the new calendar year had unprecedented twists and turns in store for us. We have been in the long tail of a season of disorder, and travel is impossible right now. This week in particular, our extremely precious Sweet Buddy needed surgery.

But also this week? Klaus is home, healthy, and in the best-case scenario. Thankful does not cover how we feel.

And this week, we celebrated the opening of our new business venture with a blessing ceremony and dedication of the new office building.

A few days ago, we also had one of the gentlest, most revelatory heart-to-heart conversations we have ever had, and I am choosing to believe that it was exactly what we both needed to start fresh.

Before this, Handsome surprised me with a new piece of art for our house, something stunning and filled with emotion and meaning. He adorned the mat board with his own art, and I will never stop feeling a swell of love when I walk past it.

Later today, I will cook something elaborate and delicious, as close to a New Orleans feast as I can muster. Then we will luxuriate in the details of this home we have built together. A true escape, the softest and strongest place to land when the world is not.

If we look closely enough and remember the essence of every anniversary tradition, we see that they are actually being kept. We are surrounded by answers to prayer, evidence of Love, and hope for something bigger and brighter than anything we have left behind or imagined we might desire or expect on this landmark anniversary. Most of all, when I think back to how I felt the weekend we were getting married in 2001, all I cared about was being together, being in the same house, with the girls, enjoying daily life, just sharing life and loving each other. That’s the whole point, and it is a dream come true.

Twenty-five years. Sometimes it feels like a moment, a breath. I know this is a universal experience. It’s not just the elasticity of time, either; in the best love stories, no amount of time is enough. It all goes by so quickly. Although the days and weeks and seasons, the years, eventually stack up into this gorgeous, solid structure of memory and tradition, this monument to emotion and effort together, it barely feels that big and solid, day to day. It feels ephemeral and delicate, like the air we need to breathe constantly. And over time, our love for each other has also become the oxygen for the world we have built around us. Necessary, in an ongoing way. If we miss a breath or two, it affects everything.

So, cheers to breathing deeply and with steadiness. Cheers to twenty-five years of remembering that Love is the whole point, and anything that sprouts from it is a blessing. Cheers to every tradition, big and small, but mostly to togetherness and safety, healing, appreciation for each other, healthy animals, and enjoying it all, as much as possible.

Happy anniversary, babe. I am so thankful for every single thing that has brought us to this day, and I am already nostalgic for the years ahead of us.

“You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs…”
XOXO