Happy 16th Anniversary, John

@postaday 301; #postaday2011.

John and I started dating in 1991, we got married in 1995, and we had our children in 1999 and 2001. It’s like riding the rapids most of the time. It’s fun, it’s scary, it’s agony and it’s ecstasy.

We are very different from each other, which is probably why it works, most of the time. Bumps in the road? We’ve had more than a few. Do I care to elaborate? Hellas NO! Suffice it to say I test the limits of John’s love all the time. Like in that movie “The Right Stuff,” where Chuck Yeager tests the limits of the itty-bitty rocket aircraft and flies it so far and high that he sees the curve of the earth? Sometimes there’s a charred wreck of an argument we manage to survive and walk away from, together. I’m sure it’s that way for everyone.

I don’t know if anyone ever thought that our marriage would or wouldn’t last, but it’s been a pretty good run so far. Let’s give credit to a guy who spotted me at work years ago and liked what he saw. That he was OK with my being outgoing and a flirt and spontaneous. And John has surprised me, too. There actually are things I’m rather timid about, things that scare me. He gives me the attagirl pep talks and asks “why not?” when I’m trying to avoid something scary or thrilling or uncomfortable. And then when I do it, I wonder what the heck was I waiting for?

Sometimes we ask each other that when we think about the time we were together before we were married, or how long it took for us to have our daughters. I believe in timing, and I believe in fate, and I believe that the lives we’ve lived shape our present, and our behavior today determines our future. I expect we’ll be OK. I expect there will be ups and downs, there will be me being stubborn and him being all knowing and smart and we’ll always find a way to keep it fresh. Because I believe the couples we admire most for their life-long companionship are those who never lose sight of those early, heart-racingly fresh days.