Six Years Ago

Yesterday as we were driving back from South Carolina, Danielle, the boys and I stopped just outside of Atlanta to eat lunch. Ridge had just woke up from a long car ride nap and was grumpy and Colton needed some milk ASAP. The first restaurant we found was some low-rent Olive Garden knock-off called Johnny Torrino's or something- one of those chain places you find in the 'burbs. Anyway, as we were getting out of the car to go inside the restaurant, Colton decided to lose his lunch all over Danielle. She was covered in regurgitated breast milk.

Inside as we dined on our crappy pseudo-Italian food and Ridge munched on his kiddy pepperoni pizza, Danielle looked at me and said, "Do you realize six years ago at this very moment I was eating lunch with my brides maids right before our wedding?"

Of course I knew it was our anniversary, but it did make me realize how much our life has changed since then. First of all, when we were newly married, we would not have been caught dead in a restaurant like Johnny Torrinos, at least not by choice. I guess you could say we were kind of elitist snobs back then, at least when it came to where we ate. Kids change that in a hurry.

Six years ago, I never would have imagined that I would be sitting across from my newborn son and my wife covered in baby spit up. And I never would have thought I'd be sitting next to my two year-old son watching him spill Coke all over the table as he attempted to drink out of a "big boy" cup. It seemed just like yesterday I was watching my beautiful bride walk down that aisle.

It absolutely boggles my mind how our lives have been turned upside down since that September evening back in 2003.

We honeymooned south of Cancun at an amazing resort called Royal Hideaway. We vowed to return for our Five Year Anniversary. That didn't happen, mainly due to the fact that neither of us could leave Ridge, who was just one year old, for that extended period of time. We would have missed him too much, plus money was and still is tight since Danielle quit her job. We simply didn't have three grand to drop on a few days of R&R south of the border.

Our anniversary celebration last night was far from a luxurious five star resort. After the boys were tucked into bed, we dined on PF Chang's take-out on our living room floor while we caught up on episodes of Entourage.

We may not be living the high roller lifestyle we did when we were DINKs (Double Income, No Kids) but I for one wouldn't change a thing. The Good Lord has blessed me with two amazing boys and my wife is just as beautiful to me now as she did the day I said "I do."

And now, as I'm writing this, I hear our youngest one filling his diaper, so I gotta go. Six years ago today, I was lying on a white sand beach with my new wife without a care in the world. How things change...