Journey of a Thousand Miles: 10 Years on June 10, 2010

Saturday, June 12, 2010

10 Years on June 10, 2010

On June 10 Kendall and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. A 'decade' seems like a really long time. We're a perfect match and an imperfect match. The last decade has been precious and it's been hard. It's been surprising- It's surprising that we could be even closer than we were on our wedding day and we've been surprised at the differences we've discovered. We've never worked so hard on anything than we have on our marriage and that working together has brought us closer. Sometimes we forget that we're on the same team and start working against each other. But even when we're mad at each other, I know enough to be thankful for my husband. I'm amazed at everything Kendall and I have learned together over the past 10 years. When I look at that, I know we can keep on learning. Kendall really is my best friend. I'm thankful to be married to the man I admire.

The boys were both in school on Thursday. Kendall had Thursday off, but has been working a lot this week, so we decided to do our thing during the day instead of getting a babysitter. That way the boys could still have the afternoon/evening with Kendall. We went canoeing for a few hours. Then we came back and went to the new nicest restaurant in town for a late lunch.

Evan took this photo. He gave me the dandelion and told us what to do.

Evan wanted to be in a picture. He's trying hard to keep his eyes open, as he has inherited my tendency to close them for photos.

The anniversary bouquets we picked Thursday evening.

By the way, if I could have any song playing throughout this post, it would be 'Amazed' by Lonestar. (I was recently hit by a blast from the past when I delved back into my beloved country music from 10-15 years ago.) Kendall and I danced to it Thursday night while the boys wrestled at our feet. Ah, the romance...

I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I want to spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby, I'm amazed by you

5 comments:

Twila said...: Nice song, You guys are great, Praise God for all the hard work. Does our hearts good to hear your more in love then ever!!! Bless you guys, keep up the good work. But I can't quit looking at the pictures of the boys, looks like they are growing up fast. Thanks for the blogs, I told Dad last night its time Karen blogs :) looked and relooked.love ya all. and Miss ya. Mom and Dad H.; June 12, 2010 at 10:34 PM
Kirst said...: i enjoyed reading this post. congratulations again on 10 years! :) i love the pictures and the pitcher that kendall made!
-kirst; June 15, 2010 at 8:29 PM
The Hochstedlers said...: Congratulations on the ten years. I had forgotten you guys were so far ahead of us! We'll have to start coming to you for advice! ;)
D.; June 16, 2010 at 7:24 PM
Nathalie said...: Great picture of the two of you. I also love the one with Evan keeping his eyes open wide.
Rod; June 22, 2010 at 10:46 AM
Nathalie said...: Mnay congratulations!

Have you settled on tattoos yet? We just figured out our 10 year ones, now we just have to make it through the next 2 years. . . (-:

Nathalie (the real one this time); June 27, 2010 at 10:45 AM

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"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu

July 1, 2008
This journey so far has taken me one thousand and four miles from my hometown, but I’m having trouble putting my finger on the single step that began it all. Was it Monday afternoon at the border when they gave me my official document allowing me to pass? Was it Saturday morning when we started the car and drove out of Goshen in our funny little caravan? Was it in February when we came up to Red Lake for a job interview at the hospital? Was it two Christmases ago being up here with Kendall’s family and all of us rating our desire to live up here? (I can’t say my number on a scale of 1 – 100 was high, but it was the highest of all the in-laws, so I guess I’m the chosen one.) Was it three years ago almost to the day that Kendall first said, “What if we’d move up here?” (I tried to ignore that one for several months, thinking surely it would go away.) Or was it June 10, 2000 when I married Kendall and made some solemn promises before God and all these witnesses? Was it a night before Kendall and I were married when we talked about moving to Red Lake? (It was a far off and romantic possibility at that time.) Or was it living in and visiting different cultures at different times in my life? Could the first step have been when my parents brought me as a baby to this same area for a year of voluntary service? (Kendall wasn’t born yet, but I surely saw his parents as they chatted with mine from time to time.) What about when my dad lived on a nearby reserve for two years before he was married? Or when my mom visited this town with her family as a teenager? Or maybe it had something to do with choices my grandparents made? Or other ancestors farther back?

At any rate, moving into this house where I slept for a few weeks as a baby and where my dad stayed as a teenager, has made me very aware of roots. And how they affect our lives and choices and passions.

I suspect there is no single step that began our move a thousand miles away from Indiana. It seems, rather, to be a coming together of so many different factors. (Not the least of which is marrying a man who has taken this land as a very part of his being. And for all the ways I can tease him and get annoyed at some of his woodsman ways, I really do mean that in a reverent and respectful way.)

So here we are, a thousand miles from nowhere. (Oops…I meant a thousand miles from Goshen.) I know that we safely made the journey here, but mostly our journey is just beginning. And mostly I’m excited.

Journey of a Thousand Miles

Saturday, June 12, 2010

10 Years on June 10, 2010

5 comments:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu

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