This past weekend, my siblings and I were honored to host a party celebrating our parent’s 40 years of marriage.  We invited friends, family, co-workers, old neighbors – you name it.  Even though it was a holiday weekend, we were happy to host over 80 people.

Today’s blog post isn’t about food – although the food was pretty tasty – and it’s not about dessert – even though I made 12 dozen cupcakes.  Today’s post is about family and friends and a lifetime built on the things that matter.  My parents did it right.  They got married for the right reasons, they chose careers that they were passionate about, they had a big, crazy family and they built their home from the ground up and have lived there ever since.

My childhood was shaped by long road trips in a mini-van with seven people, by country life and playing in creeks and pastures, and by never missing a Sunday in church.  Holidays are spent together, no matter what.  Sunday dinner is important, and family always comes first.

I thought I’d share a little slide show of our day.  Thanks to Lindsay for the amazing photos, and thanks to all of our friends and family that came out to celebrate with us.  And above all, thank you to my amazing parents for their example of genuine, unwavering and unconditional love.

Here’s to you.