George W & Laura Bush Celebrate 45th Anniversary — She's Still His 'Beautiful Bride'

• George W. Bush first met his wife through a friend they both knew.

• After marrying, the couple didn't even have a home before the arrival of their two daughters.

• The former president and his wife have become proud grandparents.

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. The two met when Bush was still an aimless youth with no real idea of what he would be doing with his life.

Right after graduating in 1968, Bush wasn't doing anything concrete. The most he did at the time was to learn to fly jets in the Texas Air National Guard. Then, in 1974, after being challenged by a friend, the yet-to-be president decided to enroll in Harvard Business School and was accepted.

Although he didn't want to go through with his enrollment, advice from his father made him stay. He was glad he did after a while, since he said the school gave him "structure." The young man decided to continue studying, which turned out to be quite helpful in the long run.

Then, in 1977, Bush was contacted by a long-time friend, Joe O'Neill, and his wife, Jan. They said they wanted to have a burger with him at their barbecue, and they also wanted him to meet Jan's friend, Laura Welch. Bush commented that he was hungry, so he decided to go.

Besides this, he was getting older, and he felt meeting Laura might give him a chance to finally meet someone he could spend his life with. As luck would have it, things turned out exactly how he hoped they would. When Bush saw Laura's eyes for the first time, he was lovestruck. Laura thought he was quite cute as well.

After only three months of dating, Bush decided it was time to take the leap. He went to Austin and proposed to Laura at her house. Laura mentioned that she knew what was coming and when he asked her, she didn't even hesitate.

Becoming Parents and Remaining in Love

At the start, Bush and Laura barely had enough to their name to afford a couch. Bush shared that their first piece of furniture was a second-hand leather couch he traded for with oil shares. They didn't even own their own home at the time.

That didn't stop the new couple, though. Soon, the married couple had two twin daughters on the way. They have also commented on how proud they are of how their daughters turned out. When the two sisters, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, decided to publish a book back in 2017, their father commended their initiative, saying:

"When you were teenagers, I never imagined you'd become authors. Congrats on your new book, girls."

After so many years together and going through so much, Bush and Laura are still as happy being married as they were when they were first engaged. The former president opened up and said his wife had supported him in so much throughout his life, and he couldn't have done it without her.

Bush admitted that he's the one who would always be in for a round of video games, while his wife shared that he would also feed them ice cream every chance he could get.

After 45 years together, he lovingly still refers to her as his "bride" in an Instagram post made to commemorate both their anniversary and Laura's birthday. The post showed the married couple sitting on a bench, holding onto each other. Bush captioned it, simply saying happy birthday and anniversary to his "bride."

The former president of the United States of America has made this tribute to his wife several times in the past, showing the supportive nature of their relationship. In 2019, the president posted a photo of Laura and called her the "love of [his] life" in the caption.

Bush and Laura Enjoy Being Grandparents

Besides being the parents of daughters, Bush and Laura have also become grandparents in the last few years. Their daughter Jenna and her husband, Henry Chase Hager, have had three kids of their own, and the presidential couple couldn't be more thrilled.

Apparently, the two grandparents also love spoiling their extended brood, Margaret "Mila" Laura, Poppy Loise, and Henry "Hal" Harold Hager. Bush admitted that he's the one who would always be in for a round of video games, while his wife shared that he would also feed them ice cream every chance he could get. The former president admitted:

"I probably do ... Well, I give them, for example, 'Pappy, can I have a piece of candy?' I said, 'Oh, sure.' I'm probably undermining every lesson that Jenna and Henry are trying to teach little Mila but, you know, what the heck?"

Laura also shared a family tradition that they have been continuing. She referenced a photo of the Bush family where Bush and his siblings could be seen in and around their parents' bed. The former first lady laughingly stated that they continue this morning tradition every time the grandkids are over. She explained:

"So Mila and Poppy come get in bed very early before Jenna and Henry are up, and then, of course, what they want to do is get our iPads and work on them."

Another newer tradition involves Bush's painting hobby. Over the years, he has learned how to paint, and now he tries to do everyone in his family's portraits. He admitted that the portrait of his wife didn't turn out very well, but he did the rest of his family, and they turned out lovely.

The former president also admitted that he loves to binge-watch almost anything interesting with his wife. Bush said he and Laura have watched nearly every British detective series during the lockdown, and they love spending time with their children and grandkids.