Today Monte and I celebrate being together for 15 years.

In 1993 we met at a rowers’ party, after we had both won Head of the River in our school’s First VIIIs. I was 15. We hit it off straight away, being captivated by eachother as teenagers often are. Unlike most of our peers, however, we stuck together and have been together ever since.

We’ve endured a lot and we’ve grown up together. We are proud of everything we have achieved together, but we would not have done so without God’s abundant blessings and love, and our determination to achieve our goals. We think of what we have done, and today we have reflected on what we have experienced together and we have discussed what is to come. In 15 years, Georgia will be 19, and Matty will be almost 17. We wonder what the world will be like for them. We hope that we will provide everything they need. We think that, through our move to this place, we are doing the best thing we can for them.

In the next 15 years we want to have built our house and be self sufficient. We’d like to have more children, perhaps. Mostly, I pray for health and the energy and ability to achieve our hopes and dreams.