The greatest adventure

If people ask about the greatest adventure of my life, they might expect me to talk about boating hundreds of miles through the Bahamas, ziplining through the rainforest in Costa Rica, skiing black diamonds with our kids, or exploring another country together. That’s probably how I would respond, to give people what they want.

Those were incredible.

But they weren’t the greatest adventure.

You were. We are.

From the very beginning, you made life feel different. We weren’t the couple who just went to dinner and a movie. We’d figure out how to knock coconuts out of trees just to drink them. We’d sneak into hot tubs. We’d spend our days outside, chasing sunsets with the dogs on the beach, and saying “yes” to experiences most people only talk about.

That never really changed.

One of my favorite things about us is that we laugh. Really laugh. The kind of laughter that takes your breath over something no one else would understand. Somewhere along the way, Nico inherited that gift, and now the four of us laugh together in the same way.

We’ve also survived enough adventures to fill a lifetime.

The Bahamas tested us with generator failures, broken anchor lights, sleepless nights, and anchorages so rolly that we went bonkers. Looking back, those are some of my favorite memories. Not because everything went right, but because we figured it out together. We watched our kids discover magical blue water, solved problems as they came, and somehow found ourselves right back where we first fell in love.

That’s us.

You have always been the one reminding our family that life is meant to be lived. When routines become boring and responsibilities pile up, you’re the one asking, “What adventure should we have next?”

I’ve always admired your courage. You’ve taken risks in your career, faced setbacks, gotten back up, and kept moving forward. During COVID, when our world changed overnight, you became the steady center of our family. While I went to work, you became the dad who was always there. Those bike rides to FAU, beach days, and little family adventures are some of my happiest memories.

Our kids may never fully realize what a gift that was. Covid was one of my favorite times. Our world got really small.

I also love watching you love the kids. Your excitement is impossible to hide. The pride on your face when they accomplish something, the way you celebrate even the small victories, the joy you bring into our family. It reminds me why they’ll always think of you as the fun dad.

There are so many little things that still make me fall in love with you.

When you unexpectedly grab my hand.

When you make plans for just the two of us.

When you call for no reason other than to say hello.

When you look me in the eyes. Or when I catch you looking at me.

There's something undeniably sexy about watching you at the helm. The quiet confidence you exude has a way of making me melt.

I notice your strength too. Not just your muscles—although I definitely notice those, but your mental toughness. You’re the backbone of our family. And, as much as I hate admitting it… you’re right a lot.

Marriage hasn’t always been easy.

We spend our youth exploring different relationships, and then one day we choose one person to build a life with. We’ve been choosing each other for sixteen years.

Sometimes we’ve grown closer.

Sometimes we’ve drifted apart.

We’ve had disagreements. We’ve gotten frustrated. We’ve had seasons that were harder than others.

But I hope our kids always remember one thing: we came back to the love we share. We respected each other. We kept choosing each other. That’s the legacy I hope we’ve given them.

I hope they remember that we raised them to seek adventure instead of comfort, to grow by stepping outside their comfort zone, and to know they were always free to choose their own path with us cheering them on.

When I think about the days I’d relive, it isn’t one perfect day. It’s all the ordinary extraordinary ones. Skiing until our legs gave out. Exploring Costa Rica. Swimming to the wreck in Delray. Playing beach volleyball. Walking to Atlantic for pizza slices. Spending all day outside until we collapsed into bed completely exhausted and completely happy.

Those are the days that built our life.

And when we’re old, like really old, I hope you’re still slapping my ass after a day at the beach before we head to Zona Fresca together. I hope we never lose that part of us.

Because after everything…

The greatest adventure of my life wasn’t boating hundreds of miles through the Bahamas, ziplining through the rainforest with our kids, or watching them conquer black diamond ski runs.

It was falling more deeply in love with you every day, every year, and discovering that all of our ordinary days together became the greatest journey.