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| Honeymooning in Mexico |
Ten years ago tonight I was chatting with family at a nearby hotel, painting my toenails a glittery silver and eagerly awaiting my wedding day the following morning. I had barely turned 21 and graduated college less than a week prior. April and I were bunking away from the family at the Extended Stay since I was essentially homeless after loading up my college apartment, and we shared giggles and stories that last night as single sisters. In one day, I could see my future, my dreams and my blissful reality laid out before me in a beautiful celebration of matrimony.
I was totally and completely smitten for this charming guy. He made me laugh. He loved God. He was kind and considerate. Kids climbed in his lap, and his friends asked him for advice. He was my best friend. Just some of the many reasons I chose that day to walk down the aisle with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.
So much has happened in our 10 years of marriage and yet there are some days I think about those Mexico honeymooning days and wonder where the time has gone! Weren't we just those young, skinny kids getting black-tongue from the Mexican food hut when I failed to tip more than $.50 for a gourmet meal? Weren't we just those overall and Hawaiian shirt-clad newlyweds who caught each others' eye across the room and couldn't look away? Weren't we just having the conversation about where we wanted to live "when we grew up," how many kids would fit nicely into our future family (he said 5, I said 2...go figure), if we would ever get a pet (RIP Sally), and even how long we'd stay in the state, in the house, in the job...? So many things change.
And yet...I'm elated to discover on this anniversary-eve ten long years later, that many things are exactly the same. Ben is still the one I want to share my stories with. He is still the one who makes me laugh. He's the one I want to eat with, sleep with (we have 3 kids and crazy lives...I seriously mean SLEEP people...), hang with and yes, even still dream with.
Throughout the fun times and the more difficult days, weeks, months or even years, I have consistently been determined to remember the good. It's not that much different than the way I approach life in general, so this shouldn't be a surprise to many, but there's something very powerful about forcing yourself to think about the best qualities in someone when all you see in that moment are the worst things..which are usually just the things that drive you the most nuts! Re-learning and reminding yourself of the qualities you love about the person is the best way to move forward and perhaps continue to learn about each other a little more.
So here we are. Ten years away from our wedding day, and I can say with absolute delight that I love my husband more today than I even knew was possible 10 years ago. Yes, that is sappy. Sorry. It's just plain true. Our life together is far from perfect. We do not always get along. We do not always "feel" that wedded bliss.
But tonight, I sit alone in my basement, watching TLC wedding shows and thinking of tomorrow. I didn't paint my toenails or even shave my legs. I may not put on makeup before I take my 5-year-old to pre-k in the morning. I won't go to a bed & breakfast with the breezy windows open or the funny flowered wallpaper. I won't visit a historic German town, eat ice cream or visit the world's largest Christmas store. I won't take a belated trip to the Florida coastline and walk at sunset holding hands with my beau. I won't eat a spectacular dinner, watch an action movie, chick flick or superhero blockbuster or even toast with sparkling raspberry limeade amongst a sea of baby toys (Mandy & Isaac: I promise you guys there will be more exciting anniversaries in your future than spending the evening with me and my crazy boys like you did earlier this week!).
Since Ben is out of the country at the moment serving the people of Nicaragua, tomorrow is just another day to get up and live this life we've created together.
There's really nothing that special about May 24. Except that a decade ago I made a vow and sealed it with a kiss. And that's worth celebrating. <3
