Evolution

As a teenager, I can remember hearing my dad say "I love your mother more now than I ever have before" (or something along those lines) when they were celebrating an anniversary. In my youthful state I couldn't understand how such a thing could be. My parents were always loving and affectionate. Not to say that everything was roses and gumdrops, but one thing that I never questioned in all my life was their devotion to one another. Surely they couldn't love each other more than they did the day they were married. I mean, weren't they a little sick of each other yet? Could love really grow and change over time?

I am here to tell you that it can.

In preparation for our big hike next month Matt and I left Aubrey with her grandparents today and set off for a late afternoon hike in the mountains. We talked and talked and talked. We laughed and explored. Matt helped me find a hidden place to pee, and when I held onto him to avoid getting anything on my shorts he only laughed a little. Ok, he laughed a lot, but quickly reassured me that he still loved me.

We talked about what we would do if we suddenly became wildly rich, and agreed on nearly everything. He held my hand to help me up big rocks, and kissed me in that sweet sort of way you kiss someone for the first time. And unfortunately our ideas of getting frisky in the wilderness were thwarted by some unsuspecting hikers. (Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. There's just something about a man with a beard in nature, Ok?)

After our hike we stopped at Pistol Pete's for fish tacos. We sat on the patio with the evening sun shining in the west and country music playing in the background. And I understood what my Dad meant.

Because I loved Matt the day we got married...but not nearly as much as I do today, five years later, or as much as I will five years from now. It isn't all roses and chocolates and love songs. But love evolves. And if you do it right, it just gets sweeter with time.