8 years

Today marks eight years since I walked down an aisle and started a whole new family. Changed my name. Started sharing a bed (over-rated). Became a gypsy. Became an adult. Became a wife.

One of my friends here asked if we were going to go on a date for our anniversary. Uh, no. Who would watch the children? "Get a babysitter" I hear the collective chant of everyone I meet. And I respond, How exactly do you "get a babysitter". Right now, all I can think of to find one is to stalk teenage girls in my neighborhood and ask them. Seems creepy and weird and not the right way at all. So any tips on how to find a babysitter are welcome. Asking my friends is not an option. They all use relatives. "Oh, Matthew just goes to his Grandma's once a month. Then we have a few days to ourselves." Barf. When our family comes into town, they are more than willing to watch the kids. But we always feel torn. Here is our family that we only get to see every couple of months and traveled 9 hours to be here for a few days. We could go out and leave them in our boring house wondering which of the 5 remotes turns on the tv. Or we could stay at home and spend time with people we love and hardly ever get to spend time with.

Anyway, back to the anniversary. 8 years. Kind of like turning 17 or 26. Not a very exciting year to mark. Doesn't even have the ring of "7 year itch" to it. Which, by the way, as far as I know we had no 7 year itching. Although I am very itchy due to a bad case of poison ivy right now.

Okay, I'm feeling very stream-of-consciousness right now. 8 years. 5 dwellings. 3 states. 2 kids. Countless jobs (I'm just counting myself now). Never a single day that I have regretted it. Regretted that Jeff couldn't have gotten a job in Ohio, yes. But never that I wasn't with Jeff. I just don't get sick of him. Which seems like a terrible thing to say, but in my experience, too much time with anyone and you're ready to spend some time apart. Not Jeff. We can spend weeks of vacation together, where he doesn't go to work, and the only thing we feel at the end of his time off is disappointment that we can't win the lotto and have him stay home all the time. For 2 people who seemingly don't have much in common, we sure like to hang out together.

This isn't turning out nearly as mushy as I had hoped. I'm not real good with the PDA. I'll just say this...Jeff could be married to anyone happily. I honestly believe that, because he is so laid-back and considerate and kind and such an amazing care-taker. I don't know why he is with ME, because I think there are very FEW people that would be happy married to me (lazy, lazy, lazy, and thinks she is funny). But I snagged him, so that is that. I thank my lucky stars every day that I get him, and not somebody else. I hear so many people complaining about their husbands/marriages, and I just don't feel that. I make up lame-o stories about how detail oriented he is in order to fit in (I don't actually want the TV remote...just give me the GD cable remote that you KNOW I want, but insist on "teaching" me that I should call it the Cable remote).

I just love him. Clear and simple. The only family member that I'll ever get to handpick. You kind of get stuck with everyone else...this is your one chance to choose someone to get stuck with forever. And I'm so glad we picked each other.