Add another year...man, ol'man.

As I have said MANY, MANY times, Lance and I have been together FOREVER. And this folks, proves it beyond all sense of the imagination, that we were hanging out in the 1990's.

I am almost embarrassed to post this picture, but then again - not so much. It is part of our history. Here we are in 1990 at his Senior Prom. Yes, he is sporting the 'stash' and greasy looking hair ; and I am wearing big hair - which is a sign of the times. It makes me laugh out loud every time I see this photo.....I refer to it as his 'Rico suave' look. A look that I loved from the start.....god help me too. We were teenagers, and living life to its fullest. Our stint of being together was just that - a 5 yr stint. We had a fall out once I went to college, and he took a job on the road. We meet up a few years later, at home over x-mas. The attraction is undeniable....damn our hormones. But then again, I never dated a guy, that I didn't ultimately wish was him.

Moving on to the next stage in our life together. Our wedding day......you can sense a level of dedication just by viewing the photo. His manly hands wrapped around my face, heads tilted, and the kiss for all to see. Yeap, life long commitment in the making. We were on a wing and a prayer at this stage in our lives. Both in our 20's, and starting a family. I am not sure we saw beyond the tip of our nose. We had not plan, no real idea - but really didn't care. We had each other, and so it began. Him at 28 and me at 26.

Here we are 8 yrs later, him turning 36 today and I give you a glimpse of where the years have taken us. Bad hair, bad breath, bad decisions and a great life in the end. Every decision we have made, either alone or together always lead us to the same place. Back to each other, to build our life one stepping stone at a time. Really to this day, no major plan. Just taking it one day at a time. Hoping that we remain happy and healthy. Now hoping that we remain healthy enough to see our kids grow up. Because, they have become an important extension of who we are, and who we want to be in the future. But as our kids get older, so do we.

The bittersweet extension of us........it is so sweet to watch them grow; but so sad to notice each wrinkle and gray hair associated with our age as well. For every year they are older, so are we.

We now find ourselves saying things like 'remember when, or those were the days.' A clear indication of our age....yeap that age that puts us closer to 40. In our 20's, we thought 40 was OLD, and now that it is looming over us - I think we were right. It is old, but we would like to consider ourselves a cooler version of the almost 40 crowd. And my kids and nieces/nephews will be a reminder that we in fact are NOT cool, and yes, 40 is old. In our little humble abode, we will snicker and laugh at them......because we can. We will start to try to protect them from 'our' childhood mistakes. Because our age has taught us SO much.....ha!!!

One thing that age has taught me is that to love unconditionally takes alot out of a person, and makes you question your own thought foundation. It is one thing to say it, but another to live it. If you are going to love your kids unconditionally, then you had better be prepared to love your spouse in the same manner. Because in the end your kids will LEAVE you, and if you don't watch it your spouse will too. We are trying to not get lost in the mix of keeping up with Jones, or being so busy that we lose site of loving each other. It is a struggle at times.....but it seems to all go back to the 'stash and greasy hair look'. I want to be with him just as much now as I did then, if not more. Our roots and connection is strong and as he turns 36 today, we share a life and level of love that even surprises us. We love our little life, our little house, and our kids. We are living the American dream, together and creating our own little version of history.

You can mark this morning as a day in our history book. Lance was asleep this morning as the kids trampled down stairs like a heard of horses to give him his card and gift. He is working nights, and was sound asleep, as Pyper giggles her way to the bed and shoves a card up his nose. He abrupt awakening is softened by seeing his kids glowing with anticipation.

They cannot wait for him to open their card - it has sound. Pyper cannot wait, she about to burst, and Rylan is giggling just thinking about it. The card is opened and Lance see's Timmy from Southpark on the front - he opens the card and Timmy squeals something about 'money and tacos' I mean for real, Timmy from Southpark for him turning 36. Well, the smiles on the kids faces was contagious as we listened to the card 50 more times. Each time encouraged more and more giggles from the kids, which made us smile from ear to ear.

We had a small family moment, laughter filled the air, and his birthday was official. And we will pack that way with the rest of our family memories. Welcome to turning 36 with Timmy from Southpark. Because that is the way we roll...

Happy 36th Birthday, we luv you!!!!