And so, the Builder and I have now been married twenty-four years. We
celebrated our anniversary last week. He was in Aviemore. I was in Ness. But
still .... we celebrated twenty-four years of God's goodness.
Here's a bit of a run down on these years:
1991
We became Mr & Mrs. It had been a long time
coming, in some ways. After all, we'd known each other for at least ten years,
but I'm slow on the uptake, and I'd only realised the previous year that this
guy was a keeper. He would be better as more than 'just good
friends', and I'd do well to grab him as a husband and friend.
1992
I can't remember much that happened in this year.
Our first full year of marriage must have been really exciting, eh?
1993
I graduated from Glasgow University at week
40+5.
Thankfully, DR decided to begin a good old Morrison
tradition of being late, and stayed safely tucked up until week 40+ 10.
He's always been a considerate child.
Pictured here a
couple of years later, at my brother's wedding. I loved a man in a kilt then,
and I still have that love affair going.
1994
We had our car, a Vauxhall Cavalier, stolen from
outside church one Friday evening, and the car was written off by the Glasgow
neds who stole it.
The silver lining was that we were forced into
getting a car that was actually reliable :)
1995
Our first daughter was born on Mothering Sunday of
this year.
Yep, she's a girl.
Honest.
1996
I'm drawing a blank on 1996. Life was busy with my
1 year old daughter and 3 year old son, and another baby on her way. Apart from
the general fun and games that go along with life in the fast lane as
a mother, I cannot think of anything out of the ordinary.
Never mind that he
had his own bed, DR as often as not would end up in the cot with Catherine.
Such precious
memories
1997
Our second daughter was born on Mothering Sunday of
this year. No kidding. Two years apart. Two daughters. Two Mothering
Sundays.
Beat that for Mother's Day gifts!
1998, 1999
There is nothing of significance that I can
remember in 1998, nor in 1999. DR would have begun school in Glasgow, and I do
remember how I felt about that (in the days when we'd never heard of such a
thing as homeschooling! Remember the days before internet? Aye, it's hard to
imagine life now without the good ol' World Wide Web!)
2000
This was when the homeschooling journey began for
me. I began with trepidation, convinced of my inability, yet knowing this is
what God meant for the children He'd given us. This journey is still ongoing. I
am still convinced of my inability, and yet God's goodness has been, and still
is, overwhelming.
2001
Mum and I visited Canada. Mum wanted to visit some
relatives in London, Ontario and in Vancouver. My dad will not fly, so I was
landed with the hardship of accompanying Mum to CANADA (sorry, but I love,
love, love that country, and it's kinda hard for me just to say the name
without squealing excitedly. Very unnerving for those around me.)
Have y'all read the story behind this photo, taken
in Stanley Park, Vancouver? No? Oh you must! Read about it here.
Amazing, eh?!
2002
My sister, Marina, married in the Autumn of this
year,
and we all got spruced up for the day. Just one
thing to say here: Isn't Katie so cuh-UTE!
2003
We were blessed with our precious Wee Guy.
(ignore the date on
the photo: it's wrong!)
2004
We first met our dear friends, Alex and Elsie in
the summer of this year. If you haven't read the story of our first meeting,
you can read it here.
2005
We moved into our new house in the summer of this
year, on the eve of DR's 13th birthday.
2006
We had a wonderfully cold and sunny spell in
winter. The kids loved having snow - real snow!
2007
The vegetable growing bug bit. Big style. Do y'all
remember my love affair with The Plot? It all began this year, and I hope to
resurrect it in the not-too-distant future.
2008
We visited the USA for the first time. It was our
first 'real' family holiday, and one we will never forget.
Our adventure began
in Ontario. It really was an adventure, and one we will never forget, nor
regret.
It was strange for us
to realise that people actually knew what Homeschoolers were,
far less to have them welcome us!
It was such an amazing experience, creating
memories we will never regret making.
2009
We carried on our November 5th tradition of a
family bonfire.
This kind of sums up how the cousins felt about the
night, and how they feel about each other.
2010
Our garage went on fire, so what could one do but
send Calum with some cakes to our lovely, helpful firefighters.
That event resulted in D.R. joining our local Fire
Service. As you can see from the photo, it's about slightly more than just
cake-eating ...
2011
The difference between my other four kids and
Jackson is that with the first four, labour came first and then the babies
came. With Jackson .... he came first, and then the labour (of love) began. And
continued.
2012
Big Brother celebrated a significant birthday,
surrounded by his adoring fan club.
and I visited London for the first time ever and
fell completely in love with the city.
D.R. and Catherine also visited Canada and America
in 2012, and stayed with this wonderful family in Toronto. Once again, this
blog has resulted in us meeting such lovely people.
2013
West Coast Americans visited, and shared the
warmest week of our year with us.
2014
Catherine got engaged to 'her John'. This one act,
taking place on the last day of 2014, has been what has governed so much of
what has happened in our lives this year.
2015
Well, where can I begin with 2015?!
The Builder began his new work on the mainland.
...and the bike was
the most-cared-for item to be packed.
We put our house up for sale, and have recently
accepted an offer for the house.
And wedding plans .... are going full pelt.
Here we were, waiting
for Catherine to appear in a wedding dress.
Oh, the anticipation!
And then the delight!
It sure hasn't been a year to dawdle!
~
~ ~
Thank you, my darling, for saying 'I do', and for
being more to me than you'll ever know..... even though I tell you. Frequently.
