It's the Big One, Elizabeth!!!

Remember Sanford & Son and Redd Foxx holding his heart and talking to his deceased wife anytime something happened.  Well, today is one of those days.  My hubby, best friend, business partner, fixer of anything, and love of my life turns 70 today!!!  Seventy!!!  WOW!!!  When I was a little girl, seventy was old - really, really old.  Today seventy is the new fifty. So, today's blog is a letter to my hunny.
Dearest Charlie - Who knew on July 4, 1981, when we promised to love and honor (remember, I had the obey part taken out of our vows) each other in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, as long as we both shall live, that we'd both make it to two milestones this year - our 30th anniversary and your 70th birthday.  We've done a lot over these years.  Lots of laughter, lots of tears, lots of accomplishments, lots of disappointment.  But, overall, it's been an incredible ride.

     We've survived job losses, the lose of both of your parents and my mom, owning a business (or rather, it owning us) where we not only live together but work together every day, combining a blended family, taking our little company from one that had not made a profit to one that sustains us quite well today.  I've watched you give away two of your daughters at their weddings, hold grandchildren when they are just a few hours or minutes old, help my dad whenever he needs you, continue to work even when we are on vacation because there are just some things you need to do, fix a computer at our office - over the phone - while we are in Europe - by just having the phone held down to the computer so you could hear what it was doing, and be ordained as a deacon at our church.  WOW!!  And, that's just the beginning.

     When you gave up your career as a chemical engineer to come into my little company and become my business partner, I know you gave up a part of you life that was so important to you.  Yet, you realized the strengths you could bring to the company would make it grow and prosper.  Because of your dedication to the company, it has allowed us to travel all over the world with our best friends.  Will we ever forget that train fiasco in Italy with the Bohans and Tidwells??  Or the trip to Germany and Switzerland where we almost got stuck in snow in the Alps?  What about the Greek Isles, or the British Isles, or the Mediterranean numerous times, or Scandinavia and Russia?  The I, Snorkel Bob incident is indelibly etched in my brain when we were on Maui, as are the many man-on-the-street interviews between you and Jim.  Our trips to DisneyWorld with the grandchildren have all been so much fun, but so different with each of them.  Just watching you and Truman on the little scooter you needed at the time because of your leg injury was great.  Seeing the wonder in Ian's eyes the first time he saw Buzz Lightyear and realizing that he really did believe he was "real" was so exciting.

     Because we didn't meet until we were both adults, there was so much I didn't know about you.  What fun I had meeting your friends and seeing where you went to elementary school and high school, and where you lived in Greenville, SC, when we went to your 50th high school reunion.Yep, it's been a great ride.  It's so wonderful to celebrate this special day with you and to know that we have many more of these to come. 

     Thank you.  Thank you for sharing this life with me.  Thank you for your dedication to our company and to the travel industry.  Thank you for helping me through the worst year of my life when I lost Mom. Although you and I never had children together, our furbabies have been so important to both of us.  Thank you for loving and caring for Samantha, Gretchen, Abby, Liesel and Zoe.  Thank you for being by my side whenever I've needed you.  Thank you for loving me every day regardless of what's going on in our lives.  And, thank you for becoming the man that God wants you to be.  You make me proud to be your wife.      Yep, it's been quite a ride.  Now let's get back on that rollercoaster and see what the next decade holds for you.  Happy 70th Birthday!!! I love you more every day.

Miz Boo