Made it to 20!

This December 30th will be our 20th anniversary.  TWENTY.  It doesn't seem like it - and I certainly don't feel any older - until my 3 inches taller than me, almost 16 year old walks by followed by her fearless 13 year old brother.  Guess those 20 years went by after all.  To celebrate, we are abandoning our children (thanks Mom!) and spending some time far, far away from all of our responsibilities and as close as possible to umbrella drinks and swim up bars :-)

How did we get here?  If I could go back and talk to the Elisabeth of late 1995, the one about to walk down the aisle, what would I say?

1.  You chose a smart, capable man.  Good job!  But that doesn't mean he'll agree with everything you say (and really, sometimes it's better that he doesn't).
2.  You will never work harder in your life than you will as a wife and mother.  The work never ends, and it's often under appreciated or even unnoticed.  But it takes constant work and care to keep your relationship, your kids, and yourself healthy and well.
3.  The work you put in to your marriage and being a mother is like money that goes into your retirement account...it's sometimes no fun seeing the payroll deduction, but next thing you know, 20 years will go by, and you'll be impressed at the size and the strength of the account.