4 years ago today was a very busy day. You were happily employed at BigTelecomCorp. I was registering for fall classes in Nursing school, wrangling an apartment full of women, buying lingerie, and hyperventilating.
Literally? All on the same day.
Oh, yes. And we got married.
Just three months later, you got laid off. Three days after that, we found out I was pregnant. We burned through our nest egg to make ends meet. We moved from a one bedroom efficiency apartment to a two bedroom for the same rent so there would be room for a crib. I went back to work full time and worked 2 jobs throughout my pregnancy.
2 weeks before Jack was born, you started your new job. Which was over an hour from home. And also? It ended up requiring about 90% travel. So you lived out of suitcases and spent a few days or a week at home (if we were lucky) between going to upstate NY and Montgomery, AL for weeks at a time.
Your grandmother passed away. Then your grandfather.
After six months of being Miserable-But-At-Least-We-Are-Employed, you got your current job. We bought our house in the Wild Burbs of West Virginia. We moved. Your parents separated. We got pregnant again. My grandfather died. Toby joined our little empire.
This year, we began fighting the battle with depression. You came home to dirty dishes, a dirty house, and often a dirty wife. You never complained. You walked in the door, rolled up your sleeves, and went to work. You made my appointments when I couldn't do it for myself, you held me while I cried, and you gave me foot rubs when you didn't know what else to do. You made meals, changed diapers, and did unholy amounts of laundry.
Through it all, you loved me. You told me I was strong, that I would make it through. We made mistakes and learned together. We got marooned on this emotional island, and we have clung to each other and our boys and kept fighting.
We have laughed together. We have watched good movies, played good games, and eaten and drunk of the best life has to offer.
You have done so much for me in the 7 years we have been together, and the 4 of those we have been married. I don't know where to begin to tell you everything.
Thank you for:
Teaching me to drink good beer
Getting me hooked on Diablo II, WoW, Civilization games, The Sims.......
Giving up smoking
Selling your Z06 so we could afford to live
Giving the world's best bear hugs
Teaching me to appreciate Cajun and Creole foods
Inventing the Perfect Pancake Recipe
Supporting my decision to go back to school
Supporting my decision to go back to work
Supporting my decision to stay home
Introducing me to Art House cinema
Taking me to Maine, New Orleans, and Mexico
Giving up your fast car YET AGAIN because it was best for the family
Introducing me to Sushi
Supporting my decision to be a mormon or not, as long as I was happy
Most especially, thank you for loving me, for never giving up on me, for our boys and our dreams and the life we have together.
I can't wait to see what is in store for us in the next 4 years, or the next 40 for that matter. I feel like we're standing in the storm and holding our own, and I want to scream at life to "BRING IT ON!" because we can handle anything as long as we're together.
Tell that pilot to bring you home safe to me tonight, and to watch out for those pockets of turbulence over the Rocky Mountains. I can't wait to see you and snog you and toast ourselves on our anniversary and all the anniversaries yet to come.
I love you.
Au jour d'hui, demain, toujours.
Yours till the wheels fall off,
MeL
tags: anniversary,love,marriage
2 comments:
Beautiful.
I feel like an intruder into this post, but I hadda say this:
Thanks for being such an outstanding wife to my old friend. You are one of two friends' spouses I approve of, and you were the first. I'm glad you two found each other.
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