27+ years

Today Fred and I have been married for 27 years.  We have been friends for over 33.   That is a very long time.  I still remember when we first met, the first summer we spent together, the beginnings of our journey.

I can mark each time of our life with a title.  College, cross-country trip, move to NYC, starting our careers, moving to Brooklyn, having children, moving to the suburbs ( probably the most difficult time in our lives ), moving back to the city, new careers, etc.  There are many many more but those are some of the headers.  Now we are moving into the next chapter; empty nesters.

I really believe the key to our success is simple.  First of all we are good friends.  We have total respect for each other. We are both insanely competitive.  We love living our lives the same way; work hard and play hard.  Family has always come first.  We both enjoy the same things from travel to the latest restaurant to live music to the arts to skiing.  Most of all we enjoy each others company.

27 years, well 33 actually, seems like a long time but honestly I still feel like we are in many ways we are the same people we were when we first met just younger.  Much has happened along the way but in many ways we have just been having one endless conversation.

Comments (Archived):

  1. Anthony Serina

    that is awesome, congrats

  2. takingpitches

    Congrats Joanne and Fred and many more.We are 12 years in and feel the same way. Just crossed the moving to brooklyn and having children part (reverse order) in last 17 months!

    1. Gotham Gal

      both are good!

  3. pointsnfigures

    Congrats you were married a month after us! We stopped at 2 girls. I didn’t want to pay for three weddings. Empty nest is fun-yet has it’s own challenges. One lesson we learned; Winston Churchill was right- Always keep champagne chilled in the fridge. In victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it.

    1. Gotham Gal

      I love that.

    2. Brandon Burns

      “We stopped at 2 girls. I didn’t want to pay for three weddings.”Lol.

  4. bsoist

    Congratulations! Fred told a wonderful story on his blog today. I told him I didn’t know the whole story, but it didn’t surprise me one bit. 🙂 one endless conversationTerri and I will celebrate 25 years in a little less than a month. We are best friends too, and I feel the same way.

  5. William Mougayar

    Nicely put and it comes from the heart.Good knowing you and Fred. I keep getting impressed by how “in sync” you both are!

  6. Joe

    Cool! I remember meeting you both 31 years ago too:)

  7. Scarlett Sieber

    “We have just been having one endless conversation” how beautiful. My parents celebrate their 30 year anniversary tomorrow. It is great seeing lasting love and friendship!

  8. Susan Rubinsky

    Congrats! Love when I hear about long, great marriages 🙂

  9. M. Richards

    Congratulations on 33 years… Best wishes to you both on another 33. Cheers to family, your great friendship together, continued growth & longevity!!

  10. Dan Wick

    I love that: “one endless conversation.”Congratulations!

  11. Mario Cantin

    Congratulations on finding your soul mate and on all your many successes on multiple facets of your life.

  12. steve ganis

    Congrat!!….. personally, our endless conversation has been going on for some 42 years. Wonder if I placed you and Fred into a decade earlier–high school late Sixties, college campus early 70s (when business school degree a shanda)…might make an interesting novel for you to write one day!

  13. Cecelia Feld

    Congratulations! 51 years for us this June. Yes, we were babes! Living, laughing and loving together.

    1. Gotham Gal

      Wow

  14. Marjan Ghara

    Love your love story. Congratulations!And how lucky for your kids to have been raised in such a loving household, with parents who respect each other. (I was raised with that kind of parents too). Huge blessing.

    1. Gotham Gal

      huge blessing.

  15. daryn

    Congrats! We just celebrated our 9th anniversary on the 18th (and dated for almost 9 years before that!).

  16. Lisa Mogull

    Mazel Tov! How lovely and inspiring!

  17. Snooch

    Happy anniversary Jo! I can personally attest that you 2 are basically the same as you were 33 years ago. You are still an awesome cook (thanks for feeding me thru grad school!) and Fred is, well, Fred. Success has truly not changed the core of either of you. To another 33 and beyond! Xo.

    1. Gotham Gal

      thanks Snooch. you have been there the longest….for sure!

  18. AMT Editorial Staff

    Not to be too personal, BUT, don’t you agree that a successful marriage also very much relies on a healthy physical relationship too? We’ve encountered many divorces lately and each couple tried therapy, but by the time they started one of the spouses had already “checked out.” Checking back in seems nearly impossible. And with all the couples the writing seemed to be on the wall when the physical disappeared…They all agree that had they addressed the marital problems when this started to happen, they may have made it. Mantra: say yes more 🙂

    1. Gotham Gal

      totally agree. it is mental and physical.

  19. AG

    A huge congrats! And thanks for always sharing and allowing others to learn from your successes.

  20. P.K. Fields

    Big Congrats, just catching up on my reading….how wonderful for your entire family.