38 years

My parents are nothing extraordinary. My mom is a 2nd grade teacher and my dad is an engineer and consultant. But something that is really extraordinary about my parents is their marriage. They wouldn't say so, but more and more I've come to realize that it really is something special. People don't stay married these days and yesterday was my parents 38th Wedding Anniversary. My parents really aren't the people to brag (unless it's about their children and grandchildren) but I'm going to brag a little bit for them.

When I was in 1st grade, my mom went back to work as a Special Ed teacher and my dad started working with some projects in Oak Ridge, TN after he stopped working in Marietta. Initially, this project was supposed to be a 6 month kind of thing, but after a while the project was extended. Then extended again. And before we knew it, it was absolutely normal for my dad to make the 3 hour drive up to Oak Ridge on Monday morning (after dropping us off at school) and come back on Friday afternoons and we were too invested in our lives in East Cobb. With 3 kids in middle and elementary school, plus a full time job, my mom was stretched for time like a single working mother is and I never gave her enough credit for all she did and still does. But when my dad came home on the weekends, he was 110%--mowing the grass, helping out with laundry, taking us on Daddy-Daughter weekends through Girls Scouts, anything you can think of.

By the time Katie made it to high school, band become a priority--for the next 10 years. Add on top of that that Kirby and I did Winter Guard, so my parents were full fledged band and guard parents for a decade. Nevermind that my dad traveled during the week and my mom was juggling a dozen things for the family at once...at least one of them came to most every home football game, parents' shows, and of course competitions. My dad even volunteered himself to get his trucking license so he could drive the tractor trailer and be the official "Tarp Crew Dad". During football season, he would bring me Subway on Friday afternoons and we would sit together in the band hall eating our dinners; It was his way of making sure we had time spent together. My mom would dedicate hours to sewing flags and painting props. It was the little things like that that make my parents special. Once I made it to college, they went out of their way to come to Parent's Weekends, Mother-Daughter and Daddy-Daughter events, and as often as they could to see Charlotte and now Felicity! They love their children so well (and maybe their granddaughters even a little bit better! ;) But they went out of their way to support and love their family and each other over the years.

All through this, I've never heard them complain about the distance and how difficult it made life at times. Our family has mastered the art of keeping in touch through phone calls and email. But every time my dad walks in the door, he'd give us a hug, play with the dog and give my mom a kiss; My mom cooks dinners on the weekends with enough for leftovers so he'll have a homecooked meal to eat on weeknights after work. It's little things like that that they show each other their love. So as rare as a lasting marriage is these days, a long distance lasting marriage is an even bigger blessing and rare gift. I know that it's worked because my parents love each other and are willing to make sacrifices for the family. It's worked because they've worked at it. And that is something that I truly admire, respect, and value about my parents. They aren't perfect, but that's what makes me love them more. Happy (belated) 38th Anniversary Mom and Dad!