Meridith & Jeff Manning

Meridith Manning describes her marriage as a fairy tale one filled with hot chocolate by the fire, coffee in bed on Sunday mornings and hidden conversations through nods across the room.

“We’ve now both hit (OK, surpassed) 50; our birthdays are three weeks apart, so we’ve spent our entire adult lives together,” Meridith says.

The pair got married on New Year’s Eve in 1996 and just celebrated 27 years together. Meridith and Jeff have survived many obstacles thrown their way — a crosscountry move, two children, breast cancer and living apart from extended family.

“We’ve made it through with friendship, love, respect and lots of laughing,” she says. “Yes, marriage can be work, but when our kids say that they want to one day have a marriage like ours, it makes every second worth it.”