*from this day forward.

Last weekend the FinFam (part T3) traveled to The Great Midwest to celebrate a most momentous occasion. See these folks here?



On April 15, whilst you were banging your fists on your keyboard and screeching obscenities at Turbo Tax, these two were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.



What's that? You're still applauding? Oh no, carry on.



Honestly, I find that stupefying. Most people I know can't tolerate me for more than a few hours at a time. These two have managed to love, honor, and cherish each other for the better part of a century, plus have a baker's half-dozen children.



There's a couple of 'em now! There are five more wandering about, because everyone made it to the celebration.



See? There's one.



Oh! There's another one.



One's hiding in the background, there. Hi, K!



AND B. We'd never forget her. Even though she is the baby.

Only now she has babies. Funny ones!



Sisters came up,



as did the very first great-grandchild.



And of course there's the one they sometimes refer to as "the favorite."



Maybe it's genetic?



Though even he is finding it difficult to compete with LSis, mother of The Star, who has decided to stick it to the man by having a baby and then becoming more gorgeous and happy every day.



I think it has something to do with this guy.



When the FinFam gets together it's nonstop chatter.



Sometimes there are serious matters to discuss,



like world peace and



politics and



football and



funny men carved out of trees.



And sometimes there are lighthearted matters to attend to,



like the dream house you're building or



your fancee new camera or



how awesome your wife is for letting her sister-in-law borrow her amazing lens for the weekend.



Ahem.



It was a stupendous evening, filled with laughter and hugs and something called "Doll's Potatoes" that are a wondrous mixture of carbohydrates and cream. Also ketchup. And possibly methamphetamine.



At the end of the night we sighed and pondered.



How do two people find such tremendous love?



Some say it's the small gestures. The little things that, stacked together, create a force field around your hopes, desires, and fondness for one another. The careful attention to protecting your marriage, fostering the thing that's most precious to you so that you can weather infinite moves, job changes, life changes, and the task of raising seven children until you ultimately can communicate with only a smile, or a nod, or a hand on the back, or the sound of ice in a glass.



And then some say it's this.



Big gestures can't hurt.