Seven Year Anniversary

Two years ago, I wrote a post for our 5 year anniversary on my now-private blog.  I’m going to re-post it and add to it tonight, and then I’m going to go pack for my weekend whisk-away (which sounds much more delicious than get-away).

Enjoy, loves.

2004-2005
The Green Glass Love

“Now in this case, my dear, I truly do prefer emeralds. But we could have made it on green glass.”
Muzzie in Thoroughly Modern Millie

There is a scene in Thoroughly Modern Mille when Muzzie tells Millie that when she became engaged to Mr. Van-H, she had no idea he was multi-millionaire (she really hadn’t). One night he gave her a green glass broach. She lent to broach to a friend who wanted to impress a new beau. The beau turned out to be a jeweler and the green glass turned out to be emeralds.
For the first year of our marriage, Danny and I developed a beautiful Green Glass Love. We didn’t have a lick of cash, and we tried to care. But we didn’t. Not really. So many people told us that the first year would be the hardest. If that’s true, it’s more than safe to say that our marriage will be ridonkulously easy.

2005-2006
The Movie Rentals

Joe Fox: You know, sometimes I wonder…
Kathleen Kelly: What?
Joe Fox: Well… if I hadn’t been Fox Books and you hadn’t been The Shop Around the Corner, and you and I had just, well… met…
Kathleen Kelly: I know.
Joe Fox: Yeah. I would have asked for your number, and I wouldn’t have been able to wait twenty-four hours before calling you and saying, “Hey, how about… oh, how about some coffee or, you know, drinks or dinner or a movie… for as long as we both shall live?”
Kathleen Kelly: Joe…
Joe Fox: And you and I would have never been at war. And the only thing we’d fight about would be which video to rent on a Saturday night.
Kathleen Kelly: Well, who fights about that?
Joe Fox: Well, some people. Not us.
Kathleen Kelly: We would never. 
You’ve Got Mail
The second year of our marriage, we spent our spare time wrapped in each other’s arms watching rented movies. We lived for it, which is a little sad and also a little wonderful. On days when we really just want to spend a little time together, we wander to a near-by movie rental store and rent our hearts out. If we can’t agree on a movie, we browse the westerns and inevitably come out with something we both want. Yee haw.

2006-2007
The Loss That Brought More Than It Took

“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.”
Charlotte Lucas, Pride and Prejudice

It might seem silly to someone who has never miscarried to mark an entire year of marriage by it. But our second and third year of marriage was spent hoping for a baby. When we lost the baby, our love for each other deepened and our desire to have a baby grew enormously. Danny wanted so badly to take the hurt away. It was a hard time for both of us (the day after I miscarried, Danny had double hernia surgery) but we look back on the week after we lost the baby as one of the best in our marriage. During that week, I gave him a card that read: I love doing nothing with you.
And while we have grown apart is some silly ways, we have grown together in deeper ways.
Maybe he doesn’t want to hold my hand all the time anymore but it doesn’t matter. He literally puts his life on the line everyday for me and our children. I’ll take that over hand-holding any day.

2007-2008
The New Parents

“Before a man marries, he’s … like a tree in the forest. He stands there independent; An entity unto himself. Then he’s chopped down, loses his branches and bark. Lands in the river. Then he’s taken to the mill. When he comes out, he’s no longer a tree. He’s the vanity table, the breakfast nook, the baby crib, and the newspaper that lines the garbage can.”
Brad Allen, Pillow Talk
Lacy was born is 2007, and Trent was born in 2008. Somewhere between the two, Danny became the baby crib and the newspaper that lines the garbage can. And you know what? He’s never been happier to do anything in his life. For he’s a Jolly Good Fellow. And for that, I thank him so profusely it’s almost obnoxious.

2008-2009
Remembering What Was

“I want a guy I can look up to and admire. But I don’t want him to browbeat me. I want a guy who’ll be sweet with me but I don’t want him to baby me either. I just want to feel that whoever I marry has some real regard for me, aside from all that lovin’ stuff.”
Marilyn Monroe, Bus Stop
Today marks our five year anniversary, and this quote sums up my feelings perfectly. I treasure all of the hand holding, constant snuggling, note-writing, and romantic husband I knew for four years. He’s changed. And I’ve changed. And I’m excited about where we are now. We’re comfortable. We’re secure.
I never thought the man I married could get any better, but he has.
To me, he is everything.
I hope he knows that.
Happy Fifth Anniversary, Mister.
When I say “I love you” now, it means so much more than it did five years ago.
Though it sounds the same, it feels mighty different.

2009-2010
The Year of the Schedule

Aunt Josephine: Make a little room in your plans for romance again, Anne, girl. All the degrees and scholarships in the world can’t make up for the lack of it.
Anne of Green Gables Series

With one kid on my hip and one kid at my side, it sure wasn’t easy to remind my husband of the girl he married. Strange how when it’s hard to make time for love, you need it more than ever. It’s always been important to us to get at least one weekend away a year. By tradition, that weekend has always been our anniversary. Would the money we spend on our annual trip be better spent somewhere else? No. No way. Not for us. For us, it is VITAL. Last year, we got away twice. Two weekends away, just the two of us. And when my cell phone is off, my computer is as home, the kids are under the care of someone else entirely trustworthy, I can spend a little time talking to my husband. I can spend time curling my hair and applying my make-up carefully. There’s no flour my jeans and there’s no bag of garbage by the door waiting to be taken out. In fact, reality is somewhere far, far away. And per tradition, we make time to just be in love.

2010-2011
The Hardy Years

Aunt Eller: Oh, lots of things happen to folks. Sickness or being poor and hungry, being old and a feared to die. That’s the way it is, cradle to grave, and you can stand it. There’s just one way: you gotta be hardy. You gotta be. You can’t deserve the sweet and tender in life unless’n you’re tough.
Oklahoma!
Our marriage isn’t perfect. Our marriage isn’t easy. But oh how I love it.
Oh how I love him.
I guess I wouldn’t know how good we had it unless I knew how bad we had it sometimes. And so we bravely step into the unknown and infamous 7th year -the year that is supposed to be one of the hardest.
Here’s to being hardy.
Here’s to being married.
Here’s to a good whisk-away!

I love you, Brother Deets. You always have a way of driving me crazy in so many ways it’s downright wonderful.