25 years.

So on the 7th of January 2014 it will be exactly 25 years since my parents first got married. And they knew each other for seven whole years before that! As children, we panicked a little when we found out that this was a 'big one'- weren't we meant to organise some party or something? Gather together all their friends? How were we going to do that? - it's not like a lot of them would have Facebook...! Mum and Dad, however, made it quite clear they weren't expecting anything massive. It's term time. We have a lot on. We know it's unfeasible. Short notice. Etc. etc. etc. (Our sigh of relief was almost audible...) So instead, I set about making a scrapbook of their 25 years. 

The idea came about after being inspired by Project Life that seems to be taking the blogging-world by storm recently. The premise is, that you make a 'scrapbook' type thing about your life as it trundles on by; but I decided to do one about the past, to celebrate 25 years of marriage and all it holds: jobs, moving house, new friends, four children...

A very nice wedding by the looks of it. 

This is an example of one of the first pages (there are a few that come before, their hitchhike across America, engagement, etc.) Quite obviously, it's their wedding. I had to trawl through old photo albums, inhaling many lungful's of dust as I did so, and take pictures of pictures. (It was the quickest way I could think of to upload them. Probably not the most technical.)

Not to alarm anyone: the 'adoption' thing here is a running joke! (probably not a healthy one, but there you go.)

This one is about Johnny, my youngest brother's, birth. He was so scrawny! (the weight is inaccurate.) There are many more pages that I have made, or am going to make, including; The birth of myself and Gina, Toby, a page on our beloved and stinky dog Archie, life before Johnny, life after Johnny, Living in Woking, moving to Bathford, Cornwall, their honeymoon, engagement, hitchhike etc. etc. etc. It's taking time I can tell you!

But something it did make me realise, is that my parents are quite incredible people.

I look at pictures with smiling faces and see all the memories behind them.

I see the strength in them, the adventure, the maturing of youth to wisdom. The first few pages begin when they are just a little older than myself, and it's quite a shock to see them do what they did and ask myself; would I do that? My mother, for example, decided to vanish off to Africa (I'm not sure how Dad felt about this!) for a few months before they got engaged, and looking at the photos- her meeting people, riding horses, amazing landscapes, it seems like quite a journey. I question my courage when I'm faced with hers. I question how strong I am when I look at how she is.

It was almost like (I'm an English Student, forgive me) when you have to do back-ground reading on a novel to fully understand it better. Oh, Shakespeare wrote it when SHE was Queen, and THAT means THIS. Understanding my parents past has definitely shaken the way I look at them now, in a good way. I challenge you to find out something about your mother and father that you DID NOT know before. I guaruntee it will be worthwhile. 

Mum and Toby. 

Gina and Me.