A few days ago my wife and I celebrated our twentieth anniversary together, sixteen of which we’ve been married. It’s weird when you’re in the moment, focused on the events of each day how quickly time actually passes by.
During milestones like this I tend to pause and look back at exactly how much the world has changed around us in those twenty years. In some ways we’ve changed with it but in other, more important aspects, we’ve remained the same.
I remember my state of mind and where we were at in our lives when we were standing in the courthouse saying our vows to each other in front of the judge. We had so many dreams and aspirations with not much clue about how we would make them happen. By a whole lot of hard work and some miracles we were able to achieve much of what those younger versions of us dreamed of. Life has a funny way of opening up paths that you can’t quite anticipate.
Through the whole of this twenty years we’ve done our best to be there for each other through the ups and the downs. Here we are twenty years older, seemingly in the blink of an eye. Our hair is greying, we have more wrinkles. But in many ways we’re stronger and more sure of ourselves. Most importantly, we still have wishes and dreams to fulfill. I couldn’t be more grateful for the path we’ve walked together and the memories we’ve made this far.
The hardwood floor project is progressing quite nicely. Last week the installation was completed with only a handful of hiccups.
Next week the finishing crew will begin sanding and staining the wood floors. I wasn’t prepared for just how much different this would make our living space—in a very good way.
I hope to write a few more books and lots more blog posts in this sunny office. After this I’ll even have a proper desk and chair. It's almost funny to admit that for the entire past year I’ve been writing every day on a laptop, sitting in a folding chair. I'm far from a fancy person and this has suited me just fine. Although that arrangement has worked out (I've published a book and close to a hundred blog posts and articles) I look forward to something a little more more permanent.
By this time next week we’ll be on the other side of this phase of the remodel and will be ready to move on to the kitchen-phase, which will be far less obtrusive than this project was.
These autumn sunsets in Minnesota continue to dazzle. I took this photo as I was doing my evening walk around the wetlands yesterday. As the chill of winter descends I’ll miss these walks. I don’t think much of this nature trail is groomed in the winter and we can have several feet of snow on the ground at any given time. Maybe it's time I bite the bullet and invest in a pair of skis.
All for now. Thanks for reading.
