President George and Barbara Bush Celebrate 69th Wedding Anniversary [PHOTO]

I think its unbelievable that my wife Tracy hasn't left me yet and we've only been married 7 years.  So when I read that President George H.W. and Barbara Bush just celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary yesterday (January 6th), I was at a loss for words.  How can two people survive marriage that long?  How does a woman put up with a man for 69 VERY long years?

Barbara once told her kids that she married the first man she ever kissed. Their love affair began when the two met during a Christmas dance at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, when George was just 16 years old. The two were engaged a short time later right before the President was shipped overseas to fight in World War II.

Fast forward to September 1944, George was shot down and almost killed during a mission he flew over the Pacific (he was a Navy pilot) which resulted in the Navy sending him back home right before the holidays. Not to long after that, the would-be President and Barbara Pierce were married in Rye, New York on January 6th 1945. Their marriage produced six children (one would become a future President and one the Governor of Florida).  Both President and Mrs. Bush have had health issues in recent years but one thing remains the same, their love and affection for one another.

Cheers to a couple who can be a shining example to others.  I'm sure their road has been rocky and at times seemed unbearable.  Its hard enough to be a "normal" married couple, I can't imagine what its like to have your marriage under the microscope of the American public.  Their dedication to family, faith and country has served them well.  I wish the President and Mrs. Bush many more years of wedded bliss.

On a side note, they hold the record of the longest married Presidential couple, a record previously held by President John and Abigail Adams 54-year union (The Bush's broke that in 2000).