After 22 years together, this isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a simple thank-you for the partnership that makes our life work: respect, honesty, shared grit, and choosing each other every day.
We met young. We married in 2003. We raised three kids close together. We’ve known success, setbacks, big risks, and long goodbyes. We’ve changed provinces, changed plans, and kept our sense of humour. Through all of it, we stayed a team.
We are not dramatic; we are steady. We value truth over comfort, effort over excuses, and the long term over quick wins. We give each other space to be fully ourselves and still meet in the middle. Our team is strong because we lead with respect and speak to each other the way we want to be remembered. We practice radical honesty, no silent scorekeeping. Roles stay clear, the load stays shared, and apologies are ordinary. Humour lightens the hard days. We keep our relationship private before public and honour simple rituals: coffee together, walks, nature, check-ins, and eye contact. On the big things—family, money, health, integrity—we stay aligned, and inside our commitment we remain two whole people who choose to belong.
We’ve faced financial strain, total exhaustion, and seasons where everything felt uphill. We learned how to fight the problem instead of each other, how to lean without collapsing, and how to pause before saying things we can’t unsay. There’s been adventure, new places, fresh starts, and the kind of quiet evenings that feel like a reward. We’ve watched our children grow into themselves. We’ve built a life that fits, and ordinary days are our favourite flex.
These are the values that guide us: to be wealthy with humility; to inspire and be inspired daily; to help with compassion; to live with respect and practice gratitude every day; to share and give with no expectation; to keep growing and learning; to love with kindness; to surrender with friends and laugh; and to stay connected with our intuition and inner selves. They’re not slogans. They’re the choices we return to when life is too loud.
When we make decisions, we put people first, especially each other and our kids. We tell the truth even when it’s inconvenient. We don’t spend peace on what we can’t control. We rest before we respond and keep the long view. Looking ahead, we choose generosity over being “right.” We’ll keep our home a soft place to land, stay curious about each other, protect our time together, and keep doing hard things hand in hand.
Twenty-two years isn’t luck. It’s daily choices, small repairs, and one shared aim: a life we’re proud to live… together. Thank you for being with us along this journey we call life!
With gratitude,
Annie & Martin
