Eleven years isn't so very long, but I am now a different person than I was then. Eleven years ago I was twenty four years old, and I had rainbows in my eyes. The future that I pictured was a perfect continuation of the fairy tale that had begun to blossom in my imagination. Perfect fairy tales, however, are rather boring, and we learn very little when everything is perfect.
Superficially I didn't have any wrinkles or stretch marks eleven years ago. I had never spent a sleepless night taking care of someone else. The girl in the picture above didn't know a whole lot about selfless giving. For the record the girl sitting at the keyboard typing still has quite a bit to learn on that topic.
When I looked, mesmerized, into my brand new husband's face eleven years ago, I never imagined that I could gaze upon him and feel anything less than euphoria. Eleven years ago I was well-rested, and his pranks were always adorable. His raggedy Batman pillow case was charmingly cute; his naughty tendency to steal the corner brownie before it was ready to be cut was delightfully precocious; and his penchant for getting lost in computer games was quirky.
Eleven years later I do not always look at him with blind affection and adoration. Eleven years later I will admit that there are brief moments when I do not even like that guy very much. But it is also true that in every waking moment I love that man so much more deeply than the tiara-bedecked princess pictured above could even conceive of. Today when I really look at my husband, I see a man who has held my hand when I was ugly and tired. I see the man who still laughs with me in the dark until tears run down my face as we tell stories that only the two of us find funny. We have survived three pregnancies as well as the frayed emotions and over-tiredness that go along with parenting new babies. We have traveled (with children) throughout Europe, lived abroad for several years, and now made our home in the strange land called Michigan, but no matter where we are, as long as this man is beside me, I am at home.
George, you are not a mystery to me. I know what makes you tick. I do not imagine that you are perfect or that you will fulfill every childhood fantasy this starry-eyed girl ever dreamed up. I know you, and I love you all the more. I know you, and I do not wish to be anywhere else. You are still my favorite person to do nothing with. I like your sweet face. Your hands are wonderfully familiar. Your arms bring comfort when I feel lost. You are a wise and loving father, and you challenge me to be a better mother. You know me better than anyone, and you still love me too. Growing and learning are the results of actually living. We are not always pretty, but we always love each other,
When I looked, mesmerized, into my brand new husband's face eleven years ago, I never imagined that I could gaze upon him and feel anything less than euphoria. Eleven years ago I was well-rested, and his pranks were always adorable. His raggedy Batman pillow case was charmingly cute; his naughty tendency to steal the corner brownie before it was ready to be cut was delightfully precocious; and his penchant for getting lost in computer games was quirky.
Eleven years later I do not always look at him with blind affection and adoration. Eleven years later I will admit that there are brief moments when I do not even like that guy very much. But it is also true that in every waking moment I love that man so much more deeply than the tiara-bedecked princess pictured above could even conceive of. Today when I really look at my husband, I see a man who has held my hand when I was ugly and tired. I see the man who still laughs with me in the dark until tears run down my face as we tell stories that only the two of us find funny. We have survived three pregnancies as well as the frayed emotions and over-tiredness that go along with parenting new babies. We have traveled (with children) throughout Europe, lived abroad for several years, and now made our home in the strange land called Michigan, but no matter where we are, as long as this man is beside me, I am at home.
George, you are not a mystery to me. I know what makes you tick. I do not imagine that you are perfect or that you will fulfill every childhood fantasy this starry-eyed girl ever dreamed up. I know you, and I love you all the more. I know you, and I do not wish to be anywhere else. You are still my favorite person to do nothing with. I like your sweet face. Your hands are wonderfully familiar. Your arms bring comfort when I feel lost. You are a wise and loving father, and you challenge me to be a better mother. You know me better than anyone, and you still love me too. Growing and learning are the results of actually living. We are not always pretty, but we always love each other,
and that's better than any fairy tale.
Happy Anniversary!
WE GOT MARRIED!!
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