Seventeen Summers

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We celebrated our 17th December 3rd at The Blue Elephant in Clayton, a Thai restaurant. We shared the coconut soup which was coconut broth with chicken, mushrooms, lemongrass, galanga (similar to ginger), and kaffir lime leaves. I had my usual vegetables and rice. We also ordered Snowbird Dumplings, pictured above. They were so fun to eat...and they tasted good too.
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We considered the vacation we took this summer a pre-anniversary celebration. The fact that it was a highly economical trip did not detract from its enjoyment. We took our RV to an outfitters campground on the BWCAW (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness). It was a no-frills campground with motorboat and canoe rentals. Though we did not tent camp in the Boundary Waters themselves (I was chicken), we went out on the water several days. Bill really wanted to land some walleye or Northern Pike but those guys seemed to be everywhere we weren't.
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One of my favorite memories is canoeing back to the campground at nightfall after picnicking on an island. The water was as still as glass. It was so quiet that it felt like we were on another planet. The tranquil night sounds blended peacefully with the gentle sound of the paddle dipping through the water. Just the memory of those moments is worth more to me than a high-dollar cruise or resort vacation. The best things in life really are free.
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We watched sea otters cut their way through the water, beavers with their loads crossing a pond, loons landing for a rarely-observed autumn community meeting, eagles in abundance soaring above us, and wolves darting across the road where we walked at dusk.
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The last 17 summers - and winters and falls and springs - have transformed us both into better people. What one lacks, the other supplies. One's weakness is the other's strength. One of the songs I chose for our wedding was called "Make Us One." It was a prayer to God and He has answered that prayer. It has been an exciting journey, traversing valleys and climbing rugged mountains, learning to work together to achieve goals and fulfill the will of God for our lives. God has used my life in ways I never dreamed He would. I have grown spiritually and personally as a direct result of my marriage to Bill. I wouldn't trade one of our seventeen summers together for anything in the world.