15 years ago today...

(9/28/06)  

This morning, I got out of bed a little earlier than usual.  I went to the kitchen and prepared a fresh pot of coffee and began cooking a hot breakfast.   Once the coffee was ready, I filled his cup and set the card next to it.  

I called out to him.  “Babe!  Come down, your coffee is ready!”  When he walked into the kitchen, he had a big grin on his face.  “Wow!  You got up early and made me breakfast!?”  He saw the card and instantly knew he had forgotten!  “What’s this?”  “Ah, don’t tell me… it’s not my birthday so….it’s our anniversary?!”  

He took off his wedding band which has our wedding date engraved (so he will never forget -- but apparently it’s been useless!).  “Oh, babe!”   “I thought it was tomorrow”

After 15 years, it doesn’t surprise me.  In fact, I didn’t mind at all that he had forgotten.  I should be used to it by now.  Is not to say that he always forgets.  He remembers most of the time.  When he actually manages to remember an important date, he’ll pretend he didn’t and ends up surprising me later in the day.  At other times, when he really does forget, he manages to surprise me with something or we end up doing something the next day or by the weekend.   Today, I was just happy that he gave me a ride to the train station so I wouldn’t get to work late!

As I rode on the train, I kept thinking to myself, OMG!  I can’t believe I’ve been married for 15 years!  How time flies!  I can honestly say it doesn’t seem this long.  And to think people thought we wouldn’t last a year!  Ha!  

How did we do it?  I don’t know.

Married life is not easy.  It’s more work than we’ll ever know.  There’s more to marriage than just love.  We’ve had some good times and bad.  All I kept thinking was that aside from love, I guess the trick to a long lasting marriage is working together and compromising.  Both of us have to be on the “same page” so to speak.  Even with our “huge” differences, we can still find our middle ground.     Marriage is a partnership.

It’s been a bumpy road but we’re still standing.  I hope to have many more good years to come!  

Happy Anniversary!