Last Thursday, Bruce and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. You might think that last year, being the 20th, would have been more momentous. But for me, this was the big one. You see, I am 42. And I realized that I have now been married to him for half my life.
Wow. That really stopped me in my tracks when I realized it. It got me thinking a lot about marriage and family and commitment several days beforehand.
I am sure everyone who’s visited this blog regularly knows I’m crazy about my husband. And I wanted to show him that on our very special anniversary. Usually he’s the thoughtful one who does romantic things, but I really felt that it was my turn to remind him of how we started and how happy I am still and how much I hope the rest of our lives will be just as wonderful.
Since we’ve recently moved back up to Maryland, where we met, dated and married, it seemed appropriate to spend the day doing the things we did when we were dating. So I got bread and cheese and grapes, some cheap wine, borrowed my niece’s convertible (best I could do in the absence of hubby’s old Jeep Wrangler, which we used to ride all over the place in) and we set out. We started at the outdoor shrine where we got married. It is just as beautiful, just as serene and peaceful and magical. Fortunately, this time (unlike during our wedding!) there was no man trying to crawl on his bare knees up the 100 foot cement walkway so he could prostate himself on the altar.
Moving on…he suggested bringing flowers to my mother’s grave. The suggestion truly caught me by surprise, but was also appropriate. I married young and I think we’ve both always been saddened that my Mom was killed in an accident so soon afterward, never getting to see what a wonderful life we’ve had together. The very fact that he’d think of something like this probably tells you a lot about the kind of man my husband is.
Then we commenced our drive. We tried to rely on memory to find “our” old picnic spot, which was in a state park in the mountains. We made it to the park, then kept our eyes peeled for the little pull-off near the stream…no, we weren’t going to get naked in the woods, hoping nobody came along and spotted us like we did once or twice in the old days (probably not, anyway…:devil: ) but nostalgia demanded we at least try to find the spot. We never did. Instead, we got horribly lost and ended up driving miles and miles out of the way, ending up way up near our current house in a completely different state park altogether! (Hey, we’re Floridians, we can’t tell one mountain from another.)
But it was okay. We had a picnic at the other park instead, and there, between the cheap wine and the good cheese, Bruce helped me plot my next book. Sorry to cheat on you Plotmonkeys, but since I missed Dallas I really needed the help!
Afterward we did more driving, went out to a lovely historic old inn for dinner, more wine, lots more talking. Even more plotting.
Eventually we made our way to the hotel where we’d had our wedding reception and spent our wedding night. And…
Well. Read one of my books for that stuff.
Breakfast the next day, then home to life and kids and the new house and the dog and reality and a trip up to PA to pick up his mother who’s here visiting for two weeks (help…please help…)
So yes, everything returned to normalcy so quickly. But all this weekend, I’ve caught him giving me little smiles, or I’ve had to squeeze his hand, and I know we’re both thinking about the same thing: that for one day at least, we were the same Bruce and Leslie we were back then. We were young and carefree and madly in love. And there was absolutely nothing better in the world to do than drive around with the top down for hours, laughing, talking, holding hands or just sharing silence.
All the while knowing that even when we’re in our seventies, we’ll still be out looking for that little picnic spot by the stream
Leslie Kelly used to say she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, but then she discovered Nancy Drew books. Being a flashlight-under-the-covers-nose-in-book reader throughout her childhood, she couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather do as an adult than continue to lose herself in fictional stories. Her real life marriage of 20 years to the man of her dreams is a constant reinforcement that happily-ever-afters really can happen…and that they’re worth writing about. Living in Maryland, Leslie spends her non-writing time laughing a lot with the above-mentioned romance hero and their three daughters. Though an author of more than thirty sexy, contemporary comedies, she has recently branched out to write dark romantic suspense under the pseudonym Leslie Parrish.
Destiny
Dirty Little Secrets
Once Upon A Valentine
Through The Night
Subscribe to Posts 
Comment
What a sweet story. Just goes to show you RL can be even better than a romance novel, and now we definitely understand where you get your ideas from. That’s what it’s all about, I believe.
Congrats on 21 amazing years together. Here’s to many, many more
Comment
What a sweet story:love:
COngrats on 21:party:
Comment
Happy Anniversary!! That’s sweet. I hope that’s me in the future.
Comment
Aww . . . that almost made me cry. :) That’s how it’s supposed to be. It sounds like you both know what truly counts. Belated congratulations on your anniversary!
Comment
Congrats guys!!:cheer:
Today would have been my parents 41st, so reading this on this day made it all the more special.
Comment
Happy Anniversary, guys!!!
:love2::love2::love2::love2:
Comment
:love2: that ‘s was a wonderful story to read first thing this morning !
Comment
What a truly romantic story to read first thing in the morning!
Happy Anniversary Leslie and Bruce!! May you have many, many more years of happiness together!! :love:
Comment
Congrats!!! :love:
Comment
AWWWW how sweet. I loved it when Bruce would come into the chatroom during one of your chats. :)
Barb
Comment
Awww, Les, what a wonderful story! Happy Anniversary!
Comment
:love2: Happy Anniversary! :love2:
Comment
Congrats on 21 years! What a great idea!
Comment
Leslie: Congrats first of all. Secondly, how cool…that was better than a romance novel.
Comment
Im sooo jelous.. my husband wouldnt know romance or affection if it bit him in the nads…:dog:glad to know true love exists somewhere besides books…:love:
Comment
Well spit, Leslie. I’m not supposed to cry this early on a Monday morning.
I’m glad you had a wonderful celebration and I’m sorry to hear about your mother. I’m sure she would be so happy for you both.
Comment
Congrat on 21 years Leslie & Bruce!!! Thanks for sharing such an awesome story with all of us.
Comment
Happy Anniversary Bruce & Leslie! Here’s to another 21 years (plus many more!) together! :love:
Leslie — can’t wait to hear about the story you and Bruce plotted! :)
Comment
Happy Anniversary, Leslie and Bruce! :love: Thank you for starting off my Monday so wonderfully. May you enjoy another 21+ years to come!
(A much nicer way to start the day than the pile of ants on the kitchen counter–blech!)
Comment
Congratulations Leslie and Bruce. May you have another 21 years of happiness and hand holding. :love:
Today’s is my anniversary (9 years) and your story inspired me to do something with my husband that we did nine years ago. I wonder where I can drop the kids off. LOL
Comment
Leslie, what a lovely story! You & Bruce are a couple that shows true love can remain, & grow. We have gotten to know Bruce as the epitome of a romantic husband who truly loves his wife, & thank you both for allowing us to share a little of your life together. May you have many more happy years together.
Patricia A.
Comment
Leslie and Bruce
Happy 21st :love: May you share many more wonderful adventures.
Comment
Happy Anniversary Leslie & Bruce. What a wonderful happy ever after that is. That was such a lovely idea for celebrating.
I can’t wait to hear about the book you plotted with Bruce…that could be very interesting. :)
Comment
Thanks so much everyone! It really was a wonderful day.
I keep reminding myself of it as I count down the hours of this visit from my m-i-l. She gave birth to him so I guess I can’t lose my mind just yet.
By next week though? All bets are off.
Comment
Happy Anniversary, Leslie and Bruce!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful day with us. Truly touching!
Comment
that is the sweetest story!
Comment
that is great leslie.
:cooldance::love2:
Comment
Leslie, what a wonderful story for all of us to start our week reading. :)
Congratulations to you & Bruce and I wish you many more anniversaries and more romance. :love2:
I hope you mil’s visit goes well. If it gets to bad have a Margarita or your drink of choice!
Comment
Congratulations!!!!! What a wonderful way to celebrate your anniversary.
Comment
Congratulations on 21 years. You sound happy.
My hubby and I have that kind of a relationship
and it just keeps getting better we’re at 43 years.
Hugs and hope you have many more.
PS Got my new puppy. she is 2 months old weighs 1.5 lbs.
Got her vet checked today and she is good as gold.
She was born on my birthday so that sorta cinched it.
bought her on hubby’s birthday. :happy2:
Will get pics this week when we go away.
Until then she sleeps next to my desk.:love2:
and I have lots of work before we leave.
Comment
Thank you all so much for the kind wishes. I get a lot of credit for being romantic but I have to say it’s Leslie that inspires me to be that way. Being with her makes being a romantic effortless. Leslie did a great job of planning the day and it was exactly what we needed, especially after the last year or two. It was absolutely a PERFECT day…and night :wink::wink:
.
Comment
Leslie, congrats on your anniversary…wow…21 years…I didn’t think that love like that still existed…To be married half your life to the same person is wonderful…I hope that one day I can find someone to love like that…I love what you guys did…It sounds very romantic…I could see something like what you did in a book…I hope that you have a great rest of the day and week…
Comment
Leslie & Bruce,
You two are an inspiration..Congratulations! And many more years of laughter, love, romance, and happiness:love:
Comment
Comment
Happy Anniversary and many, many more. I loved the story – very sweet – you chose a wonderful way to celebrate your life together.:love2::love2::love2::love2::love2::love2::love2::love2::love2::love2: