25 Years Together!

On April 10, 2007, my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary together. Where did those years go that passed by so quickly? Just what had we done or accomplished in those years since saying "I do?" I started making a list and was rather amazed as I quickly came up with 12 things right off the top of my head.

1. We gave birth to four sons who are our pride and joy. Our early married life was spent having babies – to where we are today of being on the verge of experiencing the empty nest syndrome as our youngest prepares to graduate from high school this year. It’s been a great experience of rearing our children that we wouldn’t trade for anything. They are very polite and respectable young Christian men and we are so proud of them.
2. When our youngest was about two years old, we realized how we had outgrown our small house and started our quest to put on an addition and remodel the old part of it. It took us 3 ½ years to do it, but we did it ourselves working side by side with each other.
3. My husband has worked at the same job for over 25 years at a plant that manufactures shingles and other roofing products. We have survived those years with him working rotating shifts every week and experiencing many disappointments when he wasn’t able to attend something such as an event one of our sons was involved in or a family get-together. We even went through a horrible experience of him almost getting his hand cut off at work and several months of therapy.
4. We supported our sons through 3 ½ years of training to become 1st Degree Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do. We were very proud of them each and every time they attained a new belt rank.
5. We took our four boys and went on a major 10-day family vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota after the oldest son’s graduation from high school. We knew that might be the last time to go on such an outing before the boys were all gone from home. We had a blast!
6. We have been foster parents for about nine years – taking in 40 some kids in that time. Some kids stayed for less than a week, but others had stayed for nearly two years. Yes, there have been challenges along the way with most of the kids we’ve taken in, but it is our hope that we gave them a good home and have been a positive impact on their lives.
7. Getting our kids through college has been in the process for the last six years. They all are or have attended the same technical college in the construction trades. The two that have graduated have good jobs as a result of their education. Two down – two to go!
8. We have been able to see one of our sons get married to date. It is our prayer that all four of our sons find a wife that makes them very happy and that they can have as many years together as my husband and I have.
9. In our years together, we were saddened by the loss of both of my husband’s parents – we miss them a lot. On the other hand, we were able to help my parents celebrate 50 years together with an anniversary party in February 2007. Not many couples get to reach that milestone and we are so happy for them.
10. A great joy that has happened in the last couple of years we’ve been together is that of becoming grandparents. First of all came a grandson through our son’s adoption of a little boy that belonged to our daughter-in-law. Less than a year later, we experienced the joy of the birth of our granddaughter. It’s great being a grandparent! A recent song of "Small Town Southern Man" by Alan Jackson says it best in the chorus with, "The greatest contribution is the ones you leave behind."
11. My husband has been able to start a part-time job with his own construction business. After his hand accident on his full-time job, we were afraid he may not be able to pursue that dream of his. But with many months of therapy and 80% usage back, his business is growing with people wanting him to do jobs for them. What makes it even more special is that our sons have been able to step in and help on the projects since they have been to college to learn the construction trades.
12. I have been able to be a stay-at-home mom while all of our kids have been in school. It’s allowed me to help some with the construction business. I also have a cake decorating business and have been in several retail sales businesses. But the best has been starting my online businesses, which has allowed me to earn money online while being at home.

This list is just some of the highlights of our lives. There have been many other events that compile the make up of the 25 years my husband and I have had together. But what holds them all together like glue is the love we have for each other. Just as Faith Hill has sung "I am so blessed" in one of her popular songs, God has blessed us richly!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth/

Raising Four Boys

"It’s a boy!" Wow! Who would have thought I would hear that four times? I thought I would hear "It’s a girl!" at least once in my birthing experiences. However, I have not been disappointed to have all boys. I have talked to moms who have either all girls or a mixture and I have come to the conclusion that boys are much easier to raise. Here are a few reasons I feel this way:

1. I spent less money on clothes when they were growing up. Not only did I not have to buy all the frills and matching outfits, but time one boy had outgrown his clothes, his younger brother could wear them. They seemed to grow fast enough that the clothes were not worn out, just too small.
2. We didn’t have to make those frequent trips to the hair salon. My boys all preferred having military cuts as opposed to a style. Great news for me! I bought a good pair of hair clippers that cost about what one trip to the salon would have cost, and they get a buzz job every three weeks. 3. It’s nice to have big strong boys around when I need something done. This saves me getting a hernia if a large object needs to be moved. They are also taller than I am, so that means they can reach high up stuff – saving me having to go hunt up a ladder or stool.
4. I know when I go to a bigger city (I live in a town of 250 people) they can protect me. They are all four 1st Degree Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do. I put a sticker on our suburban window that says "Parents of 4 Black Belts". They other guy needs to at least be warned!
5. Girls tend to be picky eaters – not my boys. When they are growing, they have ravenous appetites. They pretty much eat anything I put in front of them. They even like fried liver and onions, which most kids will turn their nose up at.
6. No dealing with that time of month and all those girlie hormones. No need to say more on that subject.
7. But probably the best part is – I have four sons, but that means I will get my four daughters when they all get married, and I wasn’t the one who had to raise the girls!!!!

Raising children, whether all boys or all girls or a mixture of both is great fun, but is also a great responsibility. I compare it to running my Internet businesses. It takes time, patience, nurturing, understanding, and a few disappointments alone the way. But if you don’t lose heart, raising kids and building your online business will both bring you joy and something you can be proud of.

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/