It's been a good summer. We spent time together as a family. We were able to do a little traveling. We shared some amazing adventures while on our Florida vacation. We celebrated the graduation of our number three son. And, we were able to get back to some ministry opportunities. But boy, did it go by fast.

Amy and I were talking the other day, and we both remarked at how fast the summer seemed to fly by. Last summer (2020) was wonderful. Due to Covid-19, we were forced to spend more time together as a family. This summer, we noticed just how much busier we felt. We were both excited to have the opportunity to work our ministry jobs, and spend time with our students. But looking back, we wonder where it all went.

Now here we are, the final days of summer, and I think we're okay with that. The summer was great, but for as much as we enjoy the summer, we're looking forward to the change of seasons.
 
We live in a region where we will still have a few nice weekends. That means we have some time to not only get out and enjoy these final days, but to take in the change of season as well. And, that's our hope, to make the most of the days we have left.

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.
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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.

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.