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Today, Derrick and I celebrate 14 years of marriage.
(This officially makes us “very old”, right?!)
We watch our wedding highlight video about twice a year (whenever our kids request it), but I honestly haven’t looked through our wedding photos in quite a long time.
(Believe it or not, it used to be the opposite: I’d look through our wedding photos all the time and we never watched our wedding highlight video – that is until it became more convenient to watch YouTube on our TV.)
But today, I pulled up our wedding photos (I was looking for a few photos to post on Facebook – ya know, as one does) and I got absolutely lost down the rabbit hole of memories they provided.
I’ve always loved our wedding photos. Our photographer was amazing and I’ve always loved the images she created on our wedding day.
But I have to admit: our wedding photos are more precious to me NOW (14 years in) than they ever were shortly after we were married.
They hold so many more memories and emotions now.
Not only do they bring back all the feels surrounding our wedding day (what it was like to plan and prep and put details together), but it really shines a light on what was truly important. And it contrasts what I thought was important, with what really wasn’t that important at all.
Sure, the detail photos of our wedding day are important: the centerpieces, what our cake looked like, the architecture of the church we got married in (how I burned my hand in the days leading up to the wedding with a hot glue gun and you can see that burn in some of our first dancing photos).
But as I look back at our wedding gallery 14 years later, the MOST important photos are of the people.
Our friends – some of whom aren’t really in our lives any more (outside of seeing an update on Facebook every once in a while).
Our families – my youngest sister was the same age on Derrick and I’s wedding day as our son is right now. She was a baby on our wedding day! All of my siblings were babies! Derrick’s brother and sister-in-law had just had a baby – and that baby is in high school now!
Our parents – we love and appreciate all the help, advice, and words of encouragement our parents have given us over the years. As we were standing there on our wedding day – who knew the roller coaster ride ahead of us (and still lies before us?)
Our sweet Grandparents – we were so blessed to have all 4 of my Grandparents attend our wedding and 2 of Derrick’s Grandparents (his other 2 Grandparents were able to come to our post-wedding celebration in northern Pennsylvania). Of our 8 Grandparents, only 3 remain here on this earth – and the photos we have of them on our wedding day are priceless.
Ourselves – Derrick and I were so young when we got married. Derrick likes to joke that we were too young, but in reality, we were ready to hit the ground running. As I look back at the two super young versions of ourselves, I just think: “Wow, those two kids had no idea what they were getting themselves into – but somehow they made it through the last 14 years. Through better, and worse. Through times of prosperity, and times of hardship. Through times of sickness, and times of health. Through ups and downs. Good times and bad.”
Those two kids in our wedding photos were just babies, but they were so in love.
And that’s something that’s never changed.
Over the last 14 years, we’ve definitely changed outwardly. We’ve gone through good hairstyles, bad haircuts, gained weight, lost the weight, changed our clothing styles, gained a few grey hairs (shhhh), and added two more people to our family unit. We don’t look the same as we did 14 years ago.
But one thing will never change:
I married my best friend 14 years ago today. And I can never imagine going through life without him. He is my steady rock, my comfort, my favorite person. Sure, we fight and go to bed angry sometimes, but at the end of the day – he’s my person and I’m his.
Happy anniversary, Derrick Abbey.
Thanks for putting up with me for the last 14 years – and you’re welcome for me putting up with you.
Cheers to the next year – and the next 14 years.
May they only serve to bring us closer to each other.
I love you more today than I did yesterday and will love you more tomorrow than I did today.
PS: If you’d like to re-live some of my past wedding anniversary posts, you can see them here:
Year 13
Year 12
Year 11
Year 10
Year 6
Year 5
Year 4
Year 3
