Rebecca and the kids chatted happily as I drove us towards my moms house.

"So, you kids excited to see your grandma?" I asked.

"Definitely." They replied.

After a short drive, we pulled into my moms driveway, walking up to the front door before knocking.

My mom answered. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise."

"Hey, mom, sorry to drop in on you like this. But, I promised the kids we'd come look for some old family pictures." I replied.

She smiled down at the kids. "Well, why don't you guys follow me and I'll see what I can dig up."

They smiled back before following her inside, Rebecca and I close behind.

My mom stopped in front of the closet and pulled the door open.

She sifted through a pile of junk before pulling out a dusty, old shoebox. "Here we go."

We followed her into the kitchen and took seats at the table as she opened the box. Stacks of old pictures sat inside.

"Wow, I didn't know you had all of these." I said, thumbing through the first few.

She shrugged. "Well, you never really asked."

Rebecca pulled a couple from the box, smiling down at them.

I looked at them over her shoulder, a slight smile pulling at my lips as years of memories slipped past her fingers.

My mom handed me a picture then, it was older then the rest. "Here's the day you were born." She said.

I looked down at the picture, my mom laid in the hospital bed, holding me, while my dad smiled down at us. "Wow, you guys looked so happy."

"We were still young and we had no idea the trouble you were gonna cause us." My mom replied.

Rebecca chuckled and I rolled my eyes. "Thank a lot." I said.

My mom smiled, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "But, I wouldn't trade any of it."

I smiled back at her.

We spent the rest of the day looking through every picture in the box, from Beth's first birthday to my high school graduation. Every major point in our lives was here in a dusty, old shoebox.

A slight sadness filled my gut as I looked through them, memories I hadn't thought about in years. Important moments in my life I'd forgotten. It was bittersweet in a way...

After getting the kids to bed, Rebecca and I sat on the couch in our living room.

"That was fun." Rebecca said.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, it was... I just can't believe she had all of those."

Rebecca rubbed my back. "Are you ok?"

I wiped a stray tear from my eye. "Yeah, I just wish I took the time to appreciate those moments a little bit more when I was younger."

She pressed a soft kiss to my temple. "Well, you had a lot going on."

I let out a soft sigh. "I know... it's just, we're not getting any younger and I'm worried that all the good things in my life have come and gone already..."

She smiled a little. "That's not true... You still have plenty of time to make as many memories as you want with me and the kids and all our friends... I know you missed out on a lot when you were younger, but look at all the amazing things you have waiting for you in the future."

I smiled back, sniffling a little. "You're right. I mean, we still have quite a few birthdays to look forward to."

"And they haven't even had their first dates yet. Or their first high school party, or first kids of their own." She said.

I stood up then. "Oh my god, they're growing up to fast."

I made a beeline for the kids room, Rebecca following behind, a slight laugh escaping her.

I barged into the kids room and woke them up. "C'mon, kiddos, wake up."

"What's wrong, mommy?" Anna asked, Max still rubbing his tired eyes.

I smiled at them. "Nothing at all, but I wanna show you guys something."

So, Rebecca and I got the kids dressed and headed out to the car.

"Where are we going, mommy?" Max asked.

I started the car. "It's a surprise."

I pulled out of the driveway and headed off into the night.

After a little ways, I pulled off the main road and down into a familiar meadow Rebecca and I visited so long ago.

She smiled at me. "I remember this place."

We all stepped out of the car and I grabbed a blanket from the trunk before laying it out on the ground.

Rebecca and I laid back first, the kids squeezing between us. Their eyes widened as they looked up at the night sky, millions of stars shinning in the dark.

"Wow." They said in unison.

I smiled at Rebecca before addressing the kids. "Your grandfather used to take me here when I was your age, you can see every star from here."

"And, your mom took me here on one of our very first dates." Rebecca added.

I smiled over at Rebecca, memories of that night flashing through my mind. Almost a decade of memories together flooding through my mind. "I love you, Rebecca."

She smiled back. "I love you more."

Max looked between the two of us. "What gives?"

"Yeah." Anna added.

We laughed as we pulled them into tight hugs. "We love you guys the most." I said.

"Yeah." Rebecca added, causing all of us to laugh.

As the laughter subsided, Anna pointed towards the sky, seeing one of the many constellations. "What's that one?" She asked.

I leaned my head closer to hers, naming off every constellation I could see... And a few that I couldn't...

I may have missed my chance to have a normal childhood, but Rebecca was right, the kids were still young and the opportunities were still endless...

From crazy parties to awful break-ups, these were the memories that shaped every one of us, made us the people we are today. And, in the end, brought us all together. Life may suck sometimes, but it's the good memories that keep us going. That remind us, underneath all the bullshit, we'll always have each other. And it's those memories that I'll cherish for the rest of my life...