29 Years

Today is my parents 29th wedding anniversary. In this day and age, that's a huge deal. I never really thought so, though, until I started telling friends how long they were married around their 25th anniversary, and they thought that was so cool. After all, a majority of the families I know have gone through a divorce and a remarriage or two. The depressing statistics show us that half of marriages end in divorce, which really makes he idea of marriage even more terrifying than it already is. Committing yourself to one person forever is one thing, but then the fact that there is 50% chance that that marriage is going to fail...that doesn't give a lot of hope.

Throughout the 29 years that my parents have been married, it hasn't been all cutesy poo moments and rays of sunshine. There were a lot of fights in our house, there still are. There were even tiny moments of my childhood when I didn't understand why they didn't just get a divorce like some of my friends' parents did...it just seemed easier.

That's the thing is though...divorce is the easy out. If there is one thing my parents are, they are fighters, and they do not take the easy roads. Unless, of course the GPS tells them to, then they have to...just ask my dad.

Something that I noticed in my parents is that they are a team, they are partners. For 29 years they have supported each other through thick and thin. It wasn't always how such relations are portrayed on television, in a dramatic fashion, but they support each other and my brother and I in subtle ways. As a family we all had each others backs, because that's how my parents raised us.
My mother taught us to appreciate how hard our dad worked to support us. My father taught us to listen to my mom...because to this day, she is always right. Seriously.

They raised us to believe in a God who forgives, and loves. They raised us to appreciate everything we own. They raised us to know that grades weren't everything, that having fun was more than allowed.

The way I see family is a support system. A team. That's what my family is, and I was blessed with the best captains. They're flawed, and they don't make excuses for that. But they're partners, and they have never given up on each other or my brother and me.
Considering its all I've known, I'm not really sure how else a family successfully runs. I just know I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here's to 29 more years together, Mom and Dad.


- Candidly Catherine

Mary Tyler Moore meet Jennifer Aniston

Did you know that Nick at Nite was still around? Me either. However, I did realize this when I heard the network was airing episodes of Fresh Prince of Bel Air a year or so ago. When I heard this I was surprised, but just figured that it was a natural part of life. Cest la vie.
About a month ago, however, it was brought to my attention that the 90s sitcom about 6 lifelong friends, aptly named "Friends" would have it's reruns aired on Nick at Nite. Suddenly I became offended. At 22 I realize that I am not that old. I'm not a teenager and I need to deal with being called an adult instead of a kid or a college student. However, I am also not old enough that shows I grew up on are to be replayed for the next generation. Nick at Nite is rushing the natural course of life...that you hit a certain acceptable point that your childhood TV shows can be put on late night cable television.

I spent many summers when I was younger watching shows on Nick at Nite that were long before my generation. These shows included the wholesome goodness and classic comedy that never gets old like Green Acres, I Dream of Genie, Mary Tyler Moore, and of course the Brady Bunch. I am no prude, but there was something nice seeing the wholesome untainted humor that these shows had. Plus, when something sexual was brought up they used the hilariousness of the innuendo, which makes it about 10 times funnier...instead of just coming right out and making a penis joke.
Watching these older shows was also a little history lesson for me...I saw a couple have 2 separate beds, which caused me to ask my parents why. They then explained that television shows weren't allowed to show a man and a woman share a bed...regardless if they were married. This then caused me to ask why.

What are the kids who watch Friends on Nick at Nite going to ask? Why is Joey so stupid?
They could just turn on CBS and watch How I Met Your Mother, because, let's be serious...they're virtually the same show. Just replace the coffee shop with the bar and BAM.

I guess I just don't want to admit that Friends has been off the air for quite some time now and that it is an "older" show, worthy to be placed in TV retirement (Nick at Nite). Or maybe I also have to admit that the older shows from the 60s would never be considered acceptable to watch in this day and age...womp.

- Candidly Catherine