I can’t believe it’s been 30 years on the 30^th of 2017 since my hubby and I got married! And I have to say . . . it doesn’t feel a day over 15! 😉

Today I want to celebrate those 30 messy and marvelous years by sharing a collection of photos from the trip my husband and I took to England and Wales on our 25^th (actually it ended up being our 26^th anniversary, due to some technical difficulties, but I won’t bore you with the details).

Regardless, it was a glorious time together and one that I hope to repeat in the years to come, perhaps with our adult children in tow (If we can figure out a way to raise the funds)! 

Before I share these photos, I’d like to share a brief story that’s related to some of the photos below . . .

About a year before my husband and I took our anniversary trip to England and Wales, I held a brief subscription to Ancestry.com. At some point I had exhausted the search into my side of the family and decided to search my husband Gary’s side. In time I came across an ancestor of his that sounded vaguely familiar, “Moses White.”

So I looked back at my side and found a Moses White who lived in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s. This particular great, great, (etc.) grandpa of mine was married to three different women . . . at different times, mind you!

Then I headed back over to Gary’s family tree, looking for “Moses White” again and was astonished to see that the “Moses White” on Gary’s side had the same dates of birth and death, as well as the same three wives. However, Gary had come from one wife and I came from one of the other two wives.

So you could say . . . Gary and I are “kissing cousins!”

I say all that to explain that “Moses White’s” ancestry can be traced back to a couple named, Gerald de Windsor and Princess Nest ferch Rhys (Helen of Wales) who lived in a “stone keep” (1100 A.D.) that formed the foundation for what would eventually become Carew Castle in Carew, Wales.

With that fun detail in mind, Gary and I headed to the UK, first staying in a nearby town to Carew called Tenby, Wales.

Oh, and I can’t go on without mentioning how God blessed us with a wonderful bed and breakfast in Tenby that faced the beach off of Bristol Channel. Truly that was a blessing God dropped from the sky into our laps as we wandered the cobblestone streets of Tenby in search of a place to stay.

Below, you will see many of the photos we took of Carew Castle and the quaint town of Tenby. In the next two weeks I’ll be sharing more photos from our other two destinations in England—Liverpool (next week) and London (following week) along with a fun outing idea included in each week’s posts. So be sure to come back by!

Now to celebrate a bit more with a . . . Giveaway!

In honor of our 30^th wedding anniversary, I’d like to offer a closed Facebook group with 30 quick and easy marriage devotions, one given each day in the month of June, starting June 1, 2017. You can join this group anytime in June, but it closes July 1^st. Once you’re included in the group, begin by doing devotional #1 and going through #30, or pick and choose only the ones that strike your fancy.

The group is free to anyone who requests it either by commenting and requesting below or by requesting through my personal FB page—Beth Oster Steffaniak—or through my Messy Marriage Facebook page. However, I would absolutely LOVE it if you’d “like” my Messy Marriage Facebook page, as well as subscribing here to my blog, Messy Marriage, though that’s not required.

I just love you all that much!

[Tweet “Christian bloggers, come join From Messes to Messages linkup! #GodRedeems”]

 

What was the best trip you’ve ever taken with your mate and what did you like about it?

 

Where would you like to go with your mate in the future, and why?

 

Click on the link if you’d like to learn a bit more about visiting Tenby.

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Here are some lovely linkups I join – Christian Blogger Community, Mondays @ Soul Survival, Testimony Tuesday, Jennifer Dukes Lee, Writer Wednesday, Coffee and Conversation, Coffee for Your Heart, Faith and Friends, Sitting Among Friends, Moments of Hope, Literary Musing Mondays, Fresh Market Friday, and DanceWithJesusFriday

Let’s Get this ‘From Messes to Messages’ Linkup Started!
Add any links that are uplifting, helpful and encouraging to our spiritual lives, marriages and families! Be sure to add a link on your blog back to “From Messes to Messages” or Messy Marriage as well. For linkup guidelines/button, click here.

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