The Eleven Year fairytale.....

Once upon a time there was a young girl from Australia who landed on a plane in London with nothing but a a borrowed Kathmandu backpack and a desire to flee a stifling relationship.

Her plane landed very early one December morning at Heathrow and after an eye opening train ride she arrived in west London, hunted down a packet of cigarettes and checked into her Hostel.

It was cold. She didnt care. She felt excited and full of hope for adventure. The sun was just coming up.

ENTER STAGE RIGHT TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME FELLA LOOKING FOR A LIGHT.....

Do you have a light?
Why, yes I do....

He commenced a relentless pursuit of the young Australian girl, and after a very, very long time she realized he was tall, dark, handsome and possibly something more.....

By the New Year, they were a couple. (If you know what I mean ;-)  )

FAST FORWARD 18 MONTHS

Young Australian girl marries Tall, Dark and Handsome chap in very low key, but high romance setting on the Thames in London.

I think you'll agree they look a handsome and happy couple.

You can see why he thought all his hopes and dreams were answered that day. ;-)

FAST FORWARD FOUR YEARS

SURPRISE!!!!!!

A heavenly baby girl, followed two years later by a delicious baby boy are gifted to the young couple.
They are smug as hell that they have been blessed so and count their blessings daily.

Continuing their journey through the tunnel of love, they pack up their life in London and migrate to Australia.

Over the next four years they manage to weather a storm that see's them survive: joblessness, penniless-ness, anxiety, loss of two parent's, miserable winter's, the purchase of their first home, and several ponderances of how the hell anyone ever thought they imagined they knew what marriage would entail.

Guess what????
Its not about the dress!!!!
And having fun and laughing isnt what trues love is about and the reality is both terrifying and exhilarating.

On their tenth anniversary they had a wonderful weekend away where they ate out out, slept in, and played uninterrupted games of scrabble in bed with wine. Ten years. What an achievement. They were very proud of themselves.

Then one day, the now not quite so young Australian girl goes to the doctor.......

You know this part, but in case you dont, there was a scare:
http://aheartfullofchaos.blogspot.com.au/2013_02_01_archive.html

Closely followed by a nightmare:
http://aheartfullofchaos.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/a-heart-full-of-faaaaaaaaaaark.html

But back to the youngish couple: neither of them saw their greatest challenge coming.
They were blindsided and scared.

The youngish girl saw fear and sorrow in the youngish man's eyes when they learned that she had aggressive breast cancer.
He had a look of child-like terror in his eyes and she was distressed to imagine that she might become yet another tragic loss in his life.
She wondered whether he deserved this terrible curse, and if he ever thought about having married someone who might not have this awful disease. Someone who would stay young and beautiful and healthy til much later in their married life.....

But he didn't. And she didn't. And they ventured into Cancer Land together and scared to death.
Hand in hand.
They soon realized, ten years on, exactly what it was they had committed to all those years ago.... in sickness and in health.

He never wavered from his role as dutiful husband and through thick and thin he fulfilled every requirement a husband could ever have and then some.

They were both able to see that their beautiful children were a blessing, this time in the form of a reason to fight on and survive the seemingly impossible.
Most days, the act of helping the children to believe that everything would be ok, even when they didnt think it might be, was a job in itself that kept them going.
They made all things into a game.
Shaving Mummy's head, looking after mummy, visiting mummy in hospital were fun family activities.

The youngish couple soon learned a lesson that helped them to see beyond the mundane in everyday life. They quickly learned how blessed they had been and that they had sweated the small stuff far too often.

They celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary in a very low key manner, almost in a hopeful way, because now they realized that every year is a gift and that you just never know what is round the corner.
From one year to the next.
But that commitment and loyalty count most of all.
And that maybe wedding vows should include :

In sickness and in health, in good times and in times so bad, you want to shit your pants, cut, and run.....

I do.