the first decade {together}

2 people. 10 years.

A lot can happen in 10 years.

3,650 days.

There are the highlight reel worthy events: countless vacations, two moving days to new homes, three very special birth-days for three very special kids.

Ten Ludington Mackers.

And then there are the things that don't quite make the scrapbook but are still notable: six jobs (three for each of us). 11 cars...and counting...

It's so simple to break down 10 years in some ways, so hard to capture it all in other ways. There is so much that lies just below the surface...joy, grief, laughter, tears...the big ups, the big downs...

...and then there is the ordinary. How many plain old ordinary days (some of my favorite kinds of days, mind you) make up those 10 years?

When I look back at this last 10 years I see the big stuff - the events that would make the highlight reel - but I also see a lot of the every day...

waking up every morning to a husband who loves me, who faithfully provides for our family day after day, who unloads the dishwasher in the mornings while he gets the kids breakfast, who still makes me laugh like he first did 14 years ago.

When I look ahead I see our kids growing up, our marriage growing stronger, more potential ups and more potential downs...and a lot more every day...

Oh, and I see the house on the lake with the two rocking chairs on the front porch (no more, no less...those chairs are just for us).

And I am grateful. Grateful for 10 years together, grateful for the hope of many more years together. Grateful that my kids have such a wonderful daddy. Grateful that I have such an amazing partner for life (our little joke). Grateful that we have countless little our little jokes.

And really, currently, grateful that we have a week long kid-free tropical trip planned next month.