25 Years and Counting

* THIS POST CONTAINS PRODUCT AND AFFILIATE LINKS. *

We were so young. We had our whole lives before us. We couldn't wait to start our new life together!

It was Saturday, May 18th, 1996. The church was filled with our closest family and friends. The service was great. She said, "I do." I said, "I do." And, before we knew it, we heard those words, "Mr. and Mrs!"

We were married. Husband and wife. Our lives were forever changed. We were no longer two young adults living separate lives; we were now one.

That first year was full of adventures, lessons, and fun. We were learning what it looked like to live together, to care for each other, and to honor each other.

​That was twenty-five years ago.

Twenty-five years.

I should say, twenty-five amazing years. And, yes, they have been twenty-five, AMAZING years.

What do twenty-five years look like?

• Ten moves and ten houses.
• Serving in five different churches and two camps.
• Side jobs watching kids, serving tables, working at McDonald's and a pipeline company.
• Seasons of coaching girls lacrosse, tee ball, basketball, Little League, and working as a videographer for one of the boys football teams.
• Fourteen different vehicles.
• Five kids.
• Not to mention the hundreds of students and parents, church family, friends, and family who shared in our lives. 

​Yes, twenty-five, amazing years.

We've been celebrating twenty-five years with short trips. One of our trips took us to Maryland to visit family. We were married in Maryland, at Amy's home church. Our reception was held at this incredible location, The Elkridge Furnace.
​
Recently we had a chance to visit the Elkridge Furnace Inn, in Elkridge, MD. Oh, the memories.

It's crazy, to visit a place that we haven't seen in twenty-five years. There was so much we remembered, and so much we couldn't remember. But being back at the Elkridge Furnace Inn was amazing.

As we walked around the property, we were trying to relive some of those moments. While not much had changed, we were a bit taken back of the surroundings, some things were different. The weird thing was, we couldn't remember entering the Inn. Jay couldn't remember the inside decor, mostly because our reception was outside.

What we do remember were the people; the family and friends who shared that day with us. We remember the things that didn't go the way we had planned; the cake not being cooked all the way through, the wedding dress that wasn't the initial wedding dress, the grooms mens jacket that didn't match the rest of the grooms men. Yeah, we have stories.

---

Loved.

In A Word - Loved.

This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for both men and women.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Side-seamed

buy now

Listen.

Listen.

This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for both men and women.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Side-seamed

buy now

Forgiven.

In A Word - Forgiven.

This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for both men and women.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Side-seamed

buy now

Woman's Blessed Tee

Blessed Tee

This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for both men and women.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Side-seamed

buy now

Disciple.

In A Word - Disciple.

This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for both men and women.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Side-seamed

buy now

Saved.

In A Word - Saved.

This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for both men and women.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Side-seamed

buy now

---

But despite what we remember and what we don't, that day began an adventure that we are still living out twenty-five years later. Today, so much emphasis is placed on the wedding day. You have to have the perfect dress, a great location, the right flowers, good food, and a stocked bar. Month, even years, go in to planning weddings, but how much time do we put into preparing for a life together?

We were so blessed that the pastor who officiated our wedding required that we first completed premarital counseling. He organized a series of meetings prior to our wedding where we got together to talk about our relationship, our goals, dreams, and ambitions. That time became part of the marital frame work that we continue to construct.

And, for the last twenty-five years, we have continued to work on our marriage. We're not perfect, because we're not perfect people. It takes a lot to learn how to yield ones life for another. 

But, we're working on it. Every day, choosing to put the other first, to give sacrificially, and to love unconditionally. The time that we took to invest in our future lives together is something we continue to do. To this day we continue to invest in our marriage through books, conferences, friends, and meeting with our "marriage Pastor" as much as we can.

And what ties it all together? Jesus.

Yes, Jesus.

From the very beginning, we made the decision to put Jesus first in our relationship. We knew that if we wanted our marriage to last, He would have to be the foundation that we built upon. So we have tried hard to do that, to build our marriage, our family, on Jesus Christ.

Now, looking back over the years, through all the moves, new jobs, new schools, communities, different houses, vehicles, kids, and challenges it's been Jesus, holding us together.

I don't think either of us would change a single thing. Everything we've experienced has added to who God is shaping us to be. And, taking the time to celebrate in short, memorable ways, is helping to remind us of just how important it is to take the time to care for our marriage. Whether it's the romantic get-aways, or a chance to see the place of our reception as we visit with family, the time together is super important.

And we're not done celebrating. Twenty-five years is a milestone, and one that deserves more that just one fancy dinner or get-away weekend. No, we're going to keep celebrating through the rest of the year.

---