16 years of learning

When I rub the back of my ring finger it is worn smooth from years of wearing a symbolism of my marriage. We are approaching 16 years of marriage on the 19th of this month. We met at our place of employment. He asked me on a date and within a short amount of time we were engaged. We were two strangers that seemed to fit together with complete ease.
Our first apartment was in Salt Lake. It was a one bedroom and we barely had enough things to fill up this tiny space. We used to pick a day to go grocery shopping together and our budget was 50 dollars for a weeks worth of groceries. Our dates were spent at the dollar movies and hamburgers from a fast food restaurant. It was a time of young and new love.
Our second place was a condo in Abingdon, Maryland. It was 1500 miles from home. It was the just the two of us in this new strange place. We would get in our car and travel somewhere new every time we got a chance. We wanted to take it all in and see everything we could. It was a fun carefree time and where we truly found our friendship with one another.
A job change moved us to Ocala, Florida. We rented our first home in this town. Once again we traveled and saw so many new things and places. Another job changed moved us to Washington DC but this time I was unable to move with him at the same time. I had to stay behind and move a few months later. It was a hard time for both of us. A lot of tears and loneliness were expressed over the phone. We learned in this experience how much we depended on each other and we are not complete when the other is not there.
We lived in an outskirt city of DC called Lorton Virginia. It was our fourth place we moved to and it would be the longest place we stayed till the twins came. It was a time of hard work and hard play at the same time. We worked hard and made the most money we had in our marriage up to that point. We went out every weekend and lived life to the fullest. Then the sudden news of an unplanned pregnancy brought our life to a screeching halt. I found out on my birthday, August 6th; I was having twins. They were born 3 months premature on September 10, 1999. It was a time of change for us, we had to learn it was no longer just us but we were now a family.
A few months after the twins were born we came back to Utah. We were home again with a our new family in tow. What a fun but hard time. Learning to be parents to these precious babies. It was probably one of our most difficult times. It had been just him and I for so long that it was hard for us to give up our freedoms of being able to come and go as we pleased. It was a hard adjustment for both of us but we found our way through patience and time. We found that balance of being a family but still not forgetting to take time for just the two of us so that we never forget and ignore our relationship.
Our third child came along a few years later. She was the missing piece to our puzzle. We bought our first home and began to put roots in to a place to raise our family. This is the present for us. I stay home with kids while going to college. My husband goes to work everyday and the kids go off to school. The weeks go by quickly and fast with everyone going in different directions at any given time. It is a time for learning and growing as we navigate our way through this thing called middle age and parenthood.
As I rub this smooth place on my finger where my wedding ring is placed everyday. I recall all these memories we have had for the past sixteen years. It reminds me how much I love my life.How much I love this person who has been part of this life. I look forward to our next sixteen years and what the future is going to bring us.