The Honeymooners

After ten years of highs and lows, Tiffany and Tim Thompson feel like newlyweds. Here's why

Annette LaPlaca

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What better way to mark Marriage Partnership's tenth anniversary than to profile readers who are celebrating their first decade together? Whether you've been married one year or fifty-one, you'll learn something from the experiences of Tim and Tiffany Thompson (this page), Dana and Brian Cummings (p. 16), Jackie and Shawn Curtis (p. 18), and Mitch and Mary Moore (p. 20).

TIM & TIFFANY THOMPSON

10th anniversary:	February 27, 1998
Hometown:	Appleton, Wisconsin
Children:	Whitney (8), Niko (7), Tessa (5) and Tate (3)
Tim's occupation:	Sales rep for a contract packaging company
Tiffany's occupation:	Full-time wife and mom; calligraphy teacher; and speaker to teen groups about sex and abstinence
MP readers:	6 years

When Tim and Tiffany Thompson honeymooned ten years ago in Mexico, they had the time of their lives. Each day as they made plans, Tiffany would ask, "Should we do this? It's kind of crazy!" or "It's expensive!" But Tim kept telling her, "Hey—you only have a honeymoon once." On the final day of their trip, Tim said, "This has been the best week of my life. We should do this every year!"

Good idea, Tim. The Thompsons have kept their commitment to take a week off together—not every year, but an impressive "once every 18 months." They've been back to their honeymoon hotel so often the owners consider them regulars. "They'll even ask us to pitch in," says Tiffany, "and have Tim set out the umbrellas."

"When you're starting your life together, the feelings are just awesome," Tim explains. "Then, when you get back home, you rarely get the chance to be alone together. Our trips are our chance to pretend we're newlyweds again."

"Our friends think we're crazy," Tiffany says. "But maybe they're using their savings for a nicer car or a bigger house. We go on vacations. We need it to keep that 'newlywed-ness.'"

Newlywed-ness? Ten years later? Yep. Because regular honeymoons aren't the only thing the Thompsons do right.

Making the Promise

Every madly-in-love couple who step up to the altar intend to stay married, but the Thompsons were more determined than most. Tiffany's parents divorced when she was 15, and that break-up shook her ideas about trust and lifelong fidelity. Even when she and Tim had been dating for three years, Tiffany struggled with her dreams for the future.

"I didn't know couples who were still in love or still pursuing each other," she says. "Most couples I knew were sticking it out for the kids or were co-existing like roommates."

But Tim's character drew her in. He loved God, he was "consistent and loyal," and the biggest appeal, according to Tiffany, "was that he's trustworthy."

On the night before their wedding, Tim got yanked out of his bachelor party to comfort a panic-stricken Tiffany. He found her sobbing, "I'm so sorry! I can't marry you. I'm just way too scared."

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Originally published in: Marriage Partnership, 1998, Spring

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