PLAINS, Ga. — Georgia's favorite first couple is marking another year in a decades-long relationship.
On Friday, former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter had a quiet day at home to mark 77 years of marriage.
Rarely do fairy tales begin at birth.
Former President Jimmy Carter's mom helped deliver his future wife in a little yellow house.
Kim Fuller is the daughter of Jimmy’s late brother Billy.
“That was my grandmother,” she said proudly.
She saw firsthand how their love story evolved.
President Carter wrote in one of his books that early in his military career, he didn't talk to Roselynn much when he made decisions, and she dealt with four kids at home.
“Of course being in the military it was 'this is your job you take care of them at the house' and she did that because she loved him,” Fuller recalled.
Over time, Jimmy changed his ways.
They were always in love, with the former president writing poetry to his wife, but the pendulum swung the other way.
He began to depend on Roselynn and saw her as more of an equal.
Kim says they taught the family - and the world - how to weave a love story into the fabric of a life, even a Presidential one.
“You can't just say 'I love you,'" Fuller said. "You have to persevere... Love is not always going to be roses. You have to work at it, but it's worthwhile in the end."
Jimmy is now 98 and in hospice care, and Roselynn has dementia. You might think those factors take away from a happy ending, but the couple tackles challenges with each other's support.
Living alongside one another for more than three-quarters of a century, deeply connecting with your best friend and looking back on a full life, those are the elements of a modern day fairytale.
“They were always holding hands, and I would be willing to bet that their holding hands today, too," Kim surmised.