Anyone can have a wedding, but it takes something special to make a marriage.... Happy Anniversary x

47 years ago today, a young couple stepped up to make a commitment to love and cherish each other till death do they part.

Not long after that, they attended the temple to carry that commitment through into the eternities.

That young couple were my parents and they have taught me the the most precious lesson of all. That no matter what life throws at you, no matter how difficult things might seem, if you truly love someone, you can get through anything together.

Their commitment spans decade's.

Yes, they would have both gotten less for killing someone, (Insert winky face), but they have perservered through thick and thin and still continue to work hard every day on their relationship.

I suppose this is going to be a bit of a love letter to them, but I consider myself to have been very lucky to have had the parents that I grew up with and I probably don't tell them anywhere often enough.

They were my first example of marriage and relationships and learning how to live with the same person every day of your life.

They were amazing parents to me and my brother and sisters - strong, loving and supportive and always there when we needed them, but they were also strong as a couple. I think that most of us realise as we get older and start to have our own families - the stuff that we remember the most is the stuff that we really didn't want to be part of as kids.

I remember my dad spending time in the kitchen creating and I think this came from his dad who used to grow tomatoes on his kitchen windowsill and made the most incredible coleslaws.

I remember grandad trying to educate my palate and feeding me green olives when I was 11 or 12 and I really hated them at the time. How things change!

Anyway, my dad 'created' some very interesting dishes as we grew up. There was stottie pizzas made with a halved greggs stottie and fried mince - not his finest!

Sorry dad!

There were curries which didn't quite come together and an always slightly soggy bread and butter pudding, but what he lacked in skill, he made up for in sheer enthusiasm and I have to say, I haven't ever tasted bubble and squeak quite as good as his was.

His cooking skills have improved vastly as we have grown up though and amongst his other culinary delights, he used to make jams from the fruit he grew with my mum in their allotment. Bloomin' good jam!

On the other hand though, my mum was a consistently good cook, especially when it was baking.

Sunday tea would consist of things like sandwiches, scones, cake and homemade lemon meringue pie.

Honestly, no matter how many times I have it now, it never tastes as good as my mums did. I totally blame her for my love of cakes!

Between the two of them, she was the gentler hand in the house. Dad did the disciplining and made sure we were all behaving ourselves, and mum did the hugs and the I love you's.

We also did lots of days out as a family.

I remember the trips on a weekend to places like Simonside and my dad ignoring the signs that sent you in the right directions.

More often than not, we would end up walking many miles before we got back to where we needed to be.

At the time I hated that but now I remember it fondly. It instilled a sense of adventure in me. I love a good wander now and even more so when I am visiting somewhere I don't know.

You find the best spots when you let yourself get a little bit lost!

I love to remember the holidays. We didn't have a lot of money growing up so there was a lot of second hand toys and clothes and hand me downs. Luckily I was the firstborn so probably less so for me than anyone else but in spite of there not being a lot of money, we had some amazing holidays.

My dad would throw the camping gear in the back of the car and we would go to Scotland.

Make no mistake, this was not fancy camping with hot showers and a playground and an onsite pub/restaurant. This was proper wild camping. He would pull over on the side of a road somewhere in the middle of the Highlands, put up the tent and thats where we would spend the night.

There was a bucket for going to the loo in so you didn't have to wander too far and on more than one occasion there were streams to get washed in.

I don't remember where it was in Scotland, but I do remember swimming in a freezing cold river at the bottom of a massive hill one morning after we had wild camped. Fab fun!

We did spend time at proper sites as well but funnily enough, those memories are not as prominent as some of the others.

We also went to church every Sunday as we were growing up and religion played a really important part in all our lives. We always blessed the food before a meal, we prayed on an evening before bed and we had Family Home Evening once a week.

This ensured that because our lives were all so busy through the week, we had one evening that was specially for us to bond as a family. It was a touchpoint for everyone to catch up and spend quality time together talking and doing activities. I miss that sometimes and I thought it was a great example to set. Both my parents worked and myself and my siblings were forever being ferried between scouts, brownies, guides, choir, music lessons, hockey, netball, athletics, drama club, horse riding lessons....the list goes on.

For them to make the time every Monday to make sure we all had a chance to connect with each other inspite of how crazy the resy of the week was, was really special.

In amongst all the chaos of four kids, numerous clubs, church commitments and jobs, they still somehow managed to find the time for each other.

This video was recorded at my sisters wedding and watching them together that night just said it better than I ever could.

46 years of children.

47 years of ups and downs.

47 years of commitment and giving it everything through thick and thin.

47 years and they still behave like they are on their first date.

They still laugh like they just met and look at each other like it's the first time. My parents are an example of exactly what happens when you truly commit yourself to someone for better or for worse and never give up.

This photo was taken as part of their original engagement shoot 47 years ago in one of my favourite places - Jesmond Dene.

We practically grew up there.

I got into trouble from a park ranger for picking a flower.

Our dog decided to jump off the old stone bridge into the Dene below which was quite a height.

I vaguely recall my dad getting stuck up a tree, although I am never sure whether that is a real memory or something I dreamed happened and it just stuck.

My Uncles on my mum's side would dive off the waterfall into the water below.

It has some very cool hidden spots to explore, and in one of them there is a tree that looks like someone has been trapped in it upside down. My mum used to tell us it was an evil wizard trapped in there.

There was pets corner with pigs, sheep, goats and ducks and a peacock who I used to stand and watch in the hope that he would open up his tail just once for me. (He never did).

It was a wonderful place to visit growing up, and I have spent many a happy day watching my two growing up there as well.

Over the years, I have learned that you can have everything and still have nothing.

My parents have each other and in each other they have found a best friend, a confidante, a lover, a life full of memories, family, trust, support, honour, love and respect. In each other they have found eternity and a connection that transcends this plane of existence and celebrates everything they are together.

47 years and still going strong.

Whats their secret I hear you say? I think its simple. No matter what you are going through, if you truly love someone, you will find a way.

Until next time.............