20 years

“You should marry him”

My mom once said with a smirk

“Eww, he’s like my brother”

Somehow, she knew it would work

“Put a bag over his head”

I wrinkled my nose and rolled my eyes

“He’s a good man,’” she pushed

Here we are, 20 years, time flies

“Hon” he was known

My best guy friend for years

Then one day we flipped a switch

Dated without hesitation or fears

I knew I would marry him —

After a mere two weeks

Knew it in my heart, my gut

Mom was right, this one was for keeps

He wouldn’t give the first smooch

He was a nervous one, you see

Called into COW97- “Do You Wanna Kiss?”

He heard it — came and found me

“Feels So Right” by Alabama

Became our song, cheesy, I know

Danced on a wagon in a rodeo arena

Hearing it still makes me glow

Two-step favorite “I Love a Rainy Night”

He would sneak into the barn 

Across the limed floor we would glide

Not as slick on the kitchen floor, darn

Four healthy kids, a chunk of land

Missing pieces on us both

Love and laughter remain —

Marriage has had some growth

Mixer, plants, painted towels, 

Bowls, wall hangings, rooster plates

These have all lasted 20 years, too

Gifts from some of the greats

We are among the few

To have reached that mark

I honestly never had a doubt, 

On the next 20 we now embark

For me and my Hon,

Simple dates on a porch swing —

Kids screaming, squealing,

What adventures will the rest bring?

Jacqui Davison and her family milk 800 cows and farm 1,200 acres in northeastern Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira, Dane, Henry and Cora, help on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos, and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.