Happy Anniversary to us:  2020 marks 18 years of marriage and 26 years together!

And with COVID-19, I mean together. All days, all nights, always.

(Actually, as of now Clark is still going into his office daily, but we are following all the “hunker down” orders in effect for our community.)

We never make a big to-do of our anniversary, so it wasn’t a huge sacrifice to celebrate at home this year. Clark had a hankering for a casserole and volunteered to make dinner, so I didn’t have to cook. #bestgiftever

Our evening entertainment was Wii bowling with the family. Clark is player #4 – he needs to edit his Mii to reflect gray hair. Or less hair. I’m player #1, winning thanks to those bifocals.

Clark and I rarely take photos together, but this is one of my favorites from the past year. It was taken on Thanksgiving, when he convinced me to step away from meal prep for a few hours of real family fun.  We even broke out the t-shirts from Sam’s 8th birthday party:

We only go bowling a few times a year, but it’s not an awful analogy for our marriage.

Occasionally we throw a strike. It might look effortless, but strikes aren’t possible without lots of behind the scenes practice and scads of training.

More often we throw a spare. Second effort = bonus points.

Then there are the open frame days.  Despite our best efforts, some pins stand stoically, seriously pissed off, refusing to topple.  In our house these pins have names like Put Your Plate in the Damn Dishwasher and Please Pick Up Your {expletive} Socks. On these days we simply take a deep breath and move on to the next frame.

Worst of all is the split. Some issues really divide us, but that doesn’t mean we quit the game entirely. Splits are difficult to conquer, but not impossible. Most of our splits end in compromise, with only one pin falling. And that’s okay.

I can’t believe how fast the past 18 years have gone by.  Two kids, three homes, four dogs, ten chickens, and countless games of bowling.