Because most philosophies that frown on reproduction don't survive.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Reader, I Married Her

Today marks ten years that MrsDarwin and I have been married. We were two twenty-two-year-olds just out of college who, looking back, did not know as much as we thought. But one thing that we had known for nearly four years was that we were going to get married, and so we did.


A lot has changed since then, though I'm sure there are those (perhaps including ourselves of another ten years or more hence) who would assure us that we still know less than we think. Another thing that hasn't changed is that we'd rather do just about anything together rather than apart, whether it's going through the frustration of going grocery shopping together with all the kids in tow, or having the fairly unusual status of being a husband-wife team blog.


I hope we're given enough years to roll our eyes at people our own age who go around talking about how boring it is to be retired and have their spouses around all the time. I really can't think of anything better than being able to spend most of the day with my wife. And one of my most frequent prayers for our children is that they will be as happy in their vocations, whatever they may be, as we have been blessed to be.

28 comments:

Christopher Blosser said...

Congratulations to you both!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your 10th anniversary. Lovely wife, good-looking kiddos, and a nice flowery post which should get you points at home. :)

bearing said...

Heartfelt congratulations!

I still think yours is the best husband-and-wife blog EVAH.

Michelle said...

Happy to see you around in cyberspace! Rob stumbled upon this and sent me your link. Your family looks gorgeous. Send my regards to your lovely wife. I still think back on our house adventure with great fondness.
Best regards,
Michelle (Deal) Alspaugh

Enbrethiliel said...

+JMJ+

Congratulations! Your family is beautiful!

PS -- I love the Jane Eyre reference.

mrsdarwin said...

Michelle, how lovely to see you here! I was thinking of you and Rob just the other day. Send us an email at darwincatholic(at)gmail.com and let us know how you're doing.

Incidentally -- notice the awkward way I'm holding the bouquet in the wedding picture? That's because the stupid cat (whom we still have, BTW, and he's still a curmudgeon) scratched me the day before, and I didn't want the scab preserved for posterity.

Foxfier said...

*grins* Second picture is much better. ;^p

May there be many even better ones to come!

Emily J. said...

Perfectly lovely!

Congratulations and cheers to many more happy years!

Jenny said...

Congratulations!

Melanie Bettinelli said...

Congratulations!!! May you see your children's children.

(And, yes, love the Jane Eyre reference.)

Brandon said...

Happy Anniversary!

I'm not one for profuse compliments, but I have to say that you two really are an inspiration, and have my utmost admiration.

John Farrell said...

Happy anniversary!

Amber said...

Congratulations to you both! Thanks for sharing the pictures too.

Julie D. said...

Look at those sweet, adorable young things! (And I ain't talkin' about the last photo!).

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! :-)

Mrs. Zummo said...

Congratulations! Here's to many more decades together.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, and may God continue to bless your family.

My husband and I will be celebrating 30 years of marriage soon. I can tell you that every decade has its season; and with each one you will realize just how much more you understand about life and love (gift of grace), how little you really know in the grand scheme of things (gift of humility), and how much wisdom (gift of Holy Spirit) God in His great love has given you.

Many best wishes, from an occasional reader.

Sarah Reinhard said...

Congrats!!!

mandamum said...

Congratulations! I love finding all these people I admire who are married about as long as I am--you, Patrick Coffin just celebrated 10 yrs too, and my daughter's Godparents.... Thanks for being such great and entertaining bloggers!

--Amanda

Anonymous said...

I don't know how to say this without sounding creepy, but I've come back to this post severals times a day just to stare at the photos, they're beautiful.

TS said...

Congratulations! Love the photos as well.

Rosary said...

Wow! Congratulations for a life of bliss and wonderful kids!

nicole said...

Happy anniversary! And what a treat to see a picture. :)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations and thank you for posting this.

I loved the fact that you didn't go on and on about how hard marriage is and how much compromise is involved and how there are days when you just want to walk away from the whole she-bang. I am sure all of that can be true about marriage in general, but for once, it was wonderful to read a post that didn't bring anything of that up let alone put an emphasis on it.

I, too, have been returning to look at your photographs. You truly are blessed, and I wish you both and your beautiful children many more of God's blessings all the days of your lives.

Darwin said...

BurgoFitzgerald,

Thanks.

I hope I can say this without sounding self-satisfied, but I too have always felt a little distanced by the "there are days when you just want to walk away" war story approach to talking about marriage. The compromises involved in building a happy marriage seem so small -- no more than is required to live in close proximity and relative harmony with any person. And the rewards are so great. I can't think of anything that has happened in our marriage that I am not glad to have gone through together rather than avoiding by being alone.

Anonymous said...

You are very welcome, Darwin. And you do not sound self-satisfied at all. In fact, your response to my post was wonderful and much appreciated.

I will be 40 very soon. I am not married. I have never been married. I do not have any prospects on the horizon. I do not have children. These days there are many married couples who, I suppose, in an attempt to be kind will go on and on about how marriage is often a Bataan death march that is filled with aggravation and back breaking work. It just smacks as either insincere and condescending or indicative of two idiots who engaged in absolutely no discernment before they chained themselves together in a domestic version of The Octagon. Comments to singles by bloggers who have recently married that point out that singles don't think about how married people have an entirely separate vale of tears: burying a spouse and infertility, well, these just ring as hollow as well.

Whenever a married person tells me how "smart" or how "lucky" I am to still be single? I suppose that says a great deal more about how so many people approach and view marriage. I was engaged once - for 12 whole days. I called off the engagement because I knew we both weren't going to be able to enter into the marriage properly because we weren't going to be able to do it TOGETHER. I called off the engagement because I knew if we married, life would have become a never ending succession of grinding compromises, of diminished values and beliefs.

Every time I read a list of the "perks" of being single: dominion over the remote control and closet, ability to walk out of a movie, cook whatever one wishes, travel wherever and whenever one wants to go etc., I am reminded that so many people REALLY do not recognize or appreciate what marriage is - a blessed Sacrament.

I apologize for the length and the rambling nature of this post. Once again, congratulations and thank you so much for "sharing" your lovely family with us.

Louise said...

Happy (quite belated) anniversary! What a beautiful family. May God continue to bless you. I love reading your team blog! :)

Bob the Ape said...

Happy anniversary!

momofthree said...

How lovely this picture is.