Eight Years!

Today is our eight year wedding anniversary. It does fall on a Tuesday, which is unfortunate as it is somewhat prohibative to the whole "celebrating" thing. So I think we will be saving the majority of our fun for the weekend. I don't think we will be doing anything super crazy, probably just going to dinner. I'm thinking Johnny Carino's as I really like their food and haven't been there in a while. We've never eaten there together, he gets takeout lunch from there on occasion and I went with some girlfriends for a pah-tay and had a blast. Maybe this time I won't spend quite so much on drinks. My booger of a husband set out my anniversary present in the middle of the table last night before I came home with a card taped to it. Written in very large letters on the envelope are the words "DO NOT OPEN!!!" It has been sitting there for a while now and I can only assume that he is trying to make me crazy with curiosity. Funny thing, it's not working. I think it's nice that he got me something but I think that 8 wonderful years of marriage is the best gift I could get. I'm so happy that we found each other and that all our hard work continues to pay off. As I was sitting here watching a show about adoption and the challenges of adoptive parents concerning feelings of not being a real parent and the fear of the children thinking the same I got to analyzing what makes a family. Really, I think it just boils down to the fact that God leads us all together. We are blessed by Him with our families, and getting married to someone often isn't even as strong a bond as the one created by adopting a child. So really, we don't make families. God does. I was reminded too of a friend telling me that the hardest challenge to a marriage is often the introduction of children. It has been my experience that while that is true, the work involved in that process often not only strengthens the marriage bond exponentially but brings the purpose of it all into sharp focus. I know that while our marriage was good before our son came along, it was great after. We suddenly knew what we were supposed to be doing and any progress made toward that end has been the result of that clear knowledge and the work that all marriages should involve. I would certainly never say that we are free of challenges in our marriage or our lives these days, but any issues that do arise are taken care of easily. I remember thinking when I was younger that meeting a new guy was exciting and that new relationships were exihlerating. Now I know better. I watch my few friends that are still single making their way in the dating world and I am filled with sympathy. It's not nearly as exciting as it is nerve-wracking and the exhileration seems to be tied directly to the amount of unreasonable expectations involved. It is so much better to know that there is someone to depend on, always, and to share all the great stuff and all the hard stuff and everything. It's so cool when I know that seeing me at my best or my worst won't change his opinion of me or his feelings for me. To know that what he does is done for the best of all of us, and that his family is on his mind all the time. I have to admit, I ended up with a really good man. A great husband, a great father and a great person. He likes to spend time at home, he likes to hang out with me and our son, he cleans, cooks, talks, cuddles and loves to joke around and laugh. He still calls me during the day to tell me his misses me, he always asks my how my day was and he still brings me flowers for no reason. He is honest and sweet and he is so good for me. I find my best comfort with him and I know our house wouldn't be so welcoming and comforting without him in it. I love our little family. Our family eight years in the making and still going strong!