25 Years of Bliss!

My Brute Squad... And Andy.

Look at us... So young and hopeful.

That is correct! On this day 25 years ago, Cheryl and I tied the knot.  Got Hitched!  Ball and chained each other for ever and ever.  And I have never looked back. 

Is that really ME???

Cheryl has not aged a day.

Until Cheryl dug up these old photos.  Look at us!  So young and with so much hair...   

White is definitely NOT slimming.

Does this side view make me look fat?  Well, probably.   I was possibly the same size I am right now. ( Thanks, Covid!)    Luckily for Cheryl,  she has aged far more gracefully.  In fact,  she thinks she looks better now than she did back then.  I don't know if I should agree or disagree.   Honestly, I like both version of her.  But, I'll keep the current version.   

Eric's Little "Mud Skipper."

Looking back at all those awful photos makes me remember certain stories of the time.   My nephew made a huge mud puddle in the driveway moments before the wedding and decided to play in the mud with his good clothes on.   Tina was Livid!  And my "Best" man (My brother.) was almost late for the pictures. I don't know how they managed to clean that little "bundle of joy" up in time...

Mom is the "Scary Old Lady" with white hair!

But most striking, ( Cheryl did not want me to mention this story, but I can't resist.)  Was my Mother....  And her Scary White Wig.   Come to think of it, I may have to save this story for another post, as I don't want to leave out the details or embellishments.   Let me just say that I'm amazed we survived that wedding and Cheryl still wanted to marry me after meeting my family.  

To PELLA for Bike Ridin'!

So what do we do on our 25th anniversary?   Well,   every day is "Date Night" for Cheryl and me, so there really is not much else we can do that is special.   But a change in scenery is a pleasant surprise, so we loaded up the bikes and headed to Pella.  Again!

This time, instead of accidentally riding 20 miles, we decided to head to Pella from the Dam. The round trip would be somewhere in the range of 8-10 miles.   We figured we could both handle that without any issues AND still have fun afterwards without the extreme fatigue and grumpiness brought on by excessive exercise. 

The weather was nice.  A little hot, but a slight breeze and some shade from trees helped keep it cool.   We saw some big catfish,  A Hungry Frog, Lots of Steel Birds,  and even some really pretty flowers.   Even without the Tulips out, Pella has plenty of color to go around. 

We filled up our hydration at Casey's and headed back.  The return trip back to the dam was even easier as it was mostly downhill!  ( So, yeah... It was almost completely UP hill all the way to the city.)  It felt like just enough outdoor activity and we loaded the bikes back onto the Subie and headed to Pella for Lunch. 

We had just missed the Glockenspiel, but had also missed the "Lunch Rush" at our newly discovered Dutch restaurant.   I ordered the Dutch Mess!  Because... It I tend to like Dutch things that are messy. (That is a joke. If you read this blog enough, you will get it.)  The Dutch Mess sounded very similar to the German Potato Salad I constantly rave about.  Only without the Dandelions. 

It might look a little messy.

Upon inspection,  it was very similar.  Even in taste!  The only thing missing was the bitterness of the Dandelions and the tang from the vinegar. I would say that it was good enough for me to order again in the future.  

Leo has been with us all day today!

Good enough to order again!

Back home now, and we are sharing the rest of the day with the Cats.   Puffy,( also known as Leo, Puff, Fluff, and Puffyball.) decided to stay inside today.   Normally he begs to be let out in the morning and comes back late in the evening... Usually after dark.   But today is different and we are happy to have him.   

What 600 sq ft. looks like in panoramic view!

Rocket and Hiro seem to enjoy having him in the house as well.  This is how I would imagine things if you were to ask me 25 years ago what I expected my future to hold.  Ok, not really.   I really had no clue life would throw me a bunch of curveballs and I would end up in Iowa. ( IOWA??? Of all the states!) In an ultra small 600 sq ft apartment in the middle of Amish country.   Had you told me that ,I would not have believed you.  Or wondered what terrible event would happen to make that scenario a reality. Was I being Punished? 

But in reality, I would not change a thing.   I'm sure, if given the same options in life without  the benefit of hindsight, I would have made the same bone-headed decisions that led me here.  ( And if presented with knowledge of the future, I would still try to follow the same path so I would not screw things up and change my future.)  And life is not so bad after all.   In fact, I would say that I'm ... Happy.  Well,  Mostly Happy anyway.  I theorize that when I was planning out my life before I was born, I did not choose wealth, success, or fame and glory.  I must have spent all of my points in "A Really Great Partner For Life"  and figured the rest would work itself out.  So far,  Things are really working out.   Let's plan on another 25 years!  And then.. 25 more! ( I plan on living to be 100!  Cheryl had better be there with me.) 

A really great picture of Jules. Just thought I'd add it. And no, she was not the flower girl. But I do believe she was still in grade school. She looks like Angela Cartwright from the Sound of Music.