There's nothing you and I won't do . . .

The other day Paul said, "So, what haven't we done that we still want to do?" We talked for a while about some of the things we still want to do. When we started out 22 years ago (this Saturday,) it was all about traveling and seeing the world and experiences.

The things we want to do now are a little more substantial and are more about giving than receiving. They involve phrases like "for the grandchildren", "near an airport" and "on a mission". Although, the phrase, "closer to the beach" comes up a lot as well.

Anyway, that conversation got me thinking about everything we've already done in our 22 years together.

So here are just 102 of the things that we've done or learned or experienced so far.

1. We've been married for almost 22 years and had lots of adventures.
2. We've moved 17 times and

3. lived in 17 different houses, apartments, stairwells, and townhouses.

4. Consequently, we have a great list of exactly what we want and

5. what we don't, if we ever get to build a house from scratch.

6. The house we're in now has almost everything on our list.

7. Somewhere during all those moves, we crossed the Atlantic 8 times.

8. We've seen unbelievable lightning storms in Texas,

9. caught fireflies in Nauvoo,

10. seen the Atlantic from both sides,

11. enjoyed a freak snow in Georgia,

12. and run for cover from a tornado in Kansas.

13. We lived in Germany 6 and 1/2 years, where we
14. climbed castle ruins,

15. camped on the banks of the Mighty Rhine and

16. crossed the Danube every Sunday on our way to church.

17. We know where the Herz Klink (heart hospital) is in Munich and
18. that we really love Nurenburger sausages with mustard.

19. We know the German national anthem and

20. German words to the song I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ,

21. although not as well as we used to.

22. We welcomed 3 babies into our home while we lived in Germany and
23. know the word for pain in German is "schmerz".
24. We've stood at the top of the Eiffel tower and
25. kissed in front of it.

26. We've slept at the top of a mountain at Gimmalwald, Switzerland and

27. watched our kids learn to ski in the Alps.

28. We've eaten antipasto in Tuscany
29. and watched our kids play in the Mediterranean Sea.
30. We've purchased tamales on the side of the road, in Ensenada, on Christmas Day
31. and watched our kids learn to surf in the Gulf of Mexico.

32. Of course we have a Robin and

33 a Paul and
34. a Josh and
35. a Dan and
36. a Sara and
37. a Gloria.
38. Together Paul and I have visited the deepest depths of grief
39. and learned that we are stronger than we knew we were

40. and that we are always the strongest when we are together.

41. We know the pain of long separations

42. and the joy of being reunited again.

43. We love the military,

44. especially the army and miss our army life.
45. During our time in the army we had the privilege of attending huge military balls where
46. we toasted the POTUS among other things.
47. We know what Red Legs are,
48. and GIB's

49. ACUs.
50. We know what to do when we hear revelee or

51. retreat or

52. taps.

53. We have over 150 people on our Christmas card list and

54. we send cards to every continent, except Antarctica.

55. We've been to Gettysburg and

56. know it's significance.

57. We know first hand what a Bronze Star and a Combat Action Badge are.

58. Paul described the Northern Lights to me over the phone,

59. when he was in Norway,

60. above the Arctic Circle

61. in February.

62. Did you know they use jackhammers and drills to set up their tents up there?

63. We did.

64. We know how the MTC differs from the NTC or

65. the CMTC.

66. Also the difference between being a PMS and having PMS.

67. We know what Albania smells like.

68. Staples at our house are from both our upbringings like

69. sushi and

70. artichokes and

71. homemade spaghetti sauce and

72. lumpia and

73. kelaguen and

74. fagasa.

75. We know that the excitement level of our home jumps at the sound of a good surf report, and

76. we have our travel routine down to a science when we get to act on that report.

77. We know how to raise chickens,

78. and pigs and

79. how to grow a fruitful garden.

80. We've owned 9 different cars

81. and one moped.

82. We've driven over 100 mph on the autobahn, legally and

83. And we've been pulled over in more than one state for doing the same thing illeagaly.

84. We've had lots of people from all over the world, in our home.

85. A couple of the unusual ones were a princess of Ghana who had joined the church and was attending school in Mannheim and

86. an officer from the Czech Republic who taught us that to become a man in the Czech Republic you have to build a house, plant a tree and have a son.

87. We spent $400.00 on our piano and

88. about $10,000.00 on piano lessons.

89. Music is an important part of our lives.

90. We sing a lot at our house.

91. The songs with some of the sweetest memories for us are Dr. Worm and

92. Into Yesterday and

93. Nearer My God to Thee and

94. Free Will and

95. Far Far Away on Judea's Plains and

96. Superman and

97. Tender Shepherd

98. We've snorkeled in the blue blue waters of Telum, Mexico and

99. can not wait until we can take our kiddos to do the same thing.

100. We confidently sent our first child off to college and

101. have taken the first steps into this next time of life together.

102. I can't wait to see what else we get to add to this list.