HOOSIER LIFE IN DUBAI!: Anniversary

Thirty years, Diedam! We've been married for T.H.I.R.T.Y Y.E.A.R.S--over half of our lifetime!  When in the world did this happen?

It feels like yesterday when I met you for the very first time at Ball State. You had come to my apartment at Greenbriar to pick up one of my roommates to take out on a date. Sorry, I guess it wasn't love at first sight (for either of us, I suppose) -- but I do remember it very clearly. And I remember giving you grief like, "make sure you get her back home at a reasonable hour!"

You and I proceeded to go to all of the Sigma Kappa dances -- just not together! We did share a lot at Ball State as I remember you were dubbed the "honorary Sigma Kappa"! I graduated and moved to Indianapolis to start work and it wasn't until the next year (after you graduated) that we bumped into each other at the Indianapolis 500. We promptly became drinking buddies and shared many a happy hour after work....and many a good time, I might add!

We started to spend more and more time together until we finally crossed over that very fine line between "friendship" and "more than just friendship"! Thirty years later, I can honestly say it was the best decision of our lives!

In those thirty years, we've lived in Indianapolis, Des Moines, Kansas City, Louisville, back to Indianapolis and then halfway around the world to Dubai. (I'm exhausted just thinking about it!) We've lived in two apartments, five houses (built two of them) and one very fine flat.

We've enjoyed three wonderful dogs: Corey, Maddy and, of course, Teddy! (C'mon, you know he's wonderful!) We've had our share of hamsters -- Roseanne being the one I remember the best. (Probably because she had babies the day after we brought her home!) We've also had our fair share of "critters" -- one snake (Mike), frogs, toads, praying mantises, bunnies, chameleons, salamanders, fish, and lots and lots of turtles!

And we've gotten to share our wonderful, but oh-so-different, families! We enjoyed many a fantastic Thanksgiving in Fort Meyers with Mother and Dad and with Patte, Mike, Michael and Daniel. Memories of Dad's enthusiasm for life and "finger-licking-good" crabs will always be cherished! And yes, we're both counting the days until Patte and Mike and Michael get to Dubai! (We only wish Daniel and Jenna could come as well!)

And we spent many a holiday in Kentland with your fun-loving family of nine siblings, spouses and 27 nieces and nephews running around. (And now the "greats" have started adding (quickly) to those numbers!)  I've enjoyed every minute of the craziness and was blessed with the best Mother-in-law and Father-in-law a girl could ask for!

We've both been lucky to have careers that we have loved and companies that have been very good to us. And we've gotten to travel through the years (thanks, in a big part, to your work). First we travelled from the east coast to the west coast of the United States. Then, after saving up our Holiday Inn points, we ventured out of the US for our very first time on a trip to Germany and Austria. From that awesome vacation, filled with sightseeing and skiing the Alps, we never looked back! And it has been amazing!

And we've been blessed with many good friends -- old (really, really old!*!) friends from our high school and college days, to good friends we've made with each move, to new friends we've made here in Dubai. Hopefully we can continue to build memories with them all, no matter the distance between us.

And finally, and most importantly, we've raised two fine young men. Oh, remember how excited we were to welcome first Jonathan and then Jason into our family? We loved those baby boys and laughed as they grew into toddlers. We guided them through those formative years by making them write those wonderful essays -- essays that make all of us laugh when we pull them out to read today. (Sorry guys, I'll never ever get rid of those essays!)

We enjoyed the swim meets, the soccer games, the basketball games, and especially the many years of scouting. Remember the cars you and the boys made (with a few handy tips from our friend) that won many a Pinewood Derby? Those were some mighty good years!

We share fond memories of family camping trips and vacations to awesome destinations.  We've been snow skiing, cruising, snorkeling, and travelling together for years. And, it seems, we really like each others company. Yes, we have been very, very lucky!

We even made it through those wonderful teenage years without too many battle scars! The boys learned to drive, started working and learning independence. They both have a passion for life, and most importantly, a sense of humor -- (I credit my Dad and your Mom for that)! And they both have good friends and (hopefully) are good friends in return.

I can't wait to see what's in store for Jon and Jas. I can't wait to see what niche they carve out professionally. And who will they end up sharing their lives with? How many grandchildren will we get to watch grow up? We've come a long way as parents, but we still have many roads yet to travel!

And here we are today, living in the Middle East! What an adventure it has been so far. We've gotten to spend more time together than we have in years (and we've survived). I have thoroughly enjoyed roaming the UAE with you every weekend and have especially loved learning to scuba dive with you. Hopefully (if your ear will ever let us) we will soon be certified and will be able to make our anniversary trip to the Maldives (or wherever) to go scuba diving together.

So, Happy 30th Anniversary, my dear! Thanks for the memories we've made thus far, and for many, many more that are in our future! I couldn't have chosen a better person to share the ride!

CHEERS DIEDAM!*!

HAPPY 30th ANNIVERSARY!!!