Happy 50th, Mike!

I guess that a good thing to do before you take a significant birthday photo is to ask the subject to remove the toothpick from their mouth!!! What was I thinking? While at the family reunion, Mike turned 50 years old - we did not plan it that way, but what a perfect time to celebrate with his family! Every sibling was there, and Mike was spoiled rotten with gifts. This is the rag quilt that his sister, Joy, made for him. Megan and Murray gave him chrome rims for his Rhino - can you believe that he has a pimped out ATV with fancy rims and a stereo??

I got to thinking about the fact that out of Mike's 50 years, I have been around for 31 of them. Actually more, when you figure that we went to the same school, until he moved to Tofino for the last two years of high school. But officially, either as a girl friend or as a wife, we have celebrated 31 birthdays together. (God, am I ever old!!! )

There has been a lot of milestones during that time...

- Mike bought his roofing company and then later the eavestrough company

- he lost both of his parents, when they were both still very "young" and I have both of mine

- we bought a farm (again, what were we thinking?)

- we sold the roofing company, six years later we started back up again as the person who bought it from us moved away and shut down the company.

- Mike lost two sisters and one brother

- I sold my flower shop after 17 years and became a SAHM for five

- we homeschooled all three of our children from kindergarten through high school (21 years)

- we sold our roofing company to our middle son when he turned 20

- we became empty nesters right after that, as Andrew finally moved out, and to my relief took with him all of the trucks, trailers, dump trucks, ladders and all of the shit that has been blocking my driveway and yard for 20 years. I no longer have to reserve parking to be able to get my groceries into the house!!

- I opened a scrapbook store at the Bloomin Inn and became a stay away wife for three to four days per week for the last NINE years!

- we paid off our home quarter

- Mike had a bad accident that totally changed our lives.

- we sold all of our livestock, except for the horses ( hard on Mike)

- Mike has had two amputations, due to the work accident and is scheduled for one more this fall, but maintains his optomistic attitude and his work ethic. I love that man, even though I make fun of him all of the time.

- I bought a house and had it moved to the farm, to house the headquarters of Monday Night Class and we then put an addition on it, making it the most beautiful scrapbooking space that anyone could imagine. Even though Mike had his doubts about setting up a completely different house, road and yard, ($$$$$$), he loves me enough to support me (even though he thinks that I smoke crack on a regular basis!)

It is hard to believe all that has happened to us and that we survived it all. Happy 50 years, Mike!