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Hard to believe it, but ten years ago today, Kristi and I were wed. Seems like just a few days ago in some ways. Seems like a distant memory in others. I was asked by many staff I was working with today as to what my grand plans were to commemorate such a grand occasion. They weren't too impressed that I was going to study a bit, and find a place to go have dinner as a sitter was coming over for the evening. One of them suggested that I needed to further increase my current debt by throwing jewels at my bride. I quickly vetoed that suggestion. Not because I don't have a great desire to shower my lovely lady with expensive items that will make other marrieds wish they had just been so luck to have "caught" me, or give the fair maidens hope that there may be hope yet. I think it was somehow related to the natural progression of the conversation in the OR, which had me doing my own case, hip deep in a 330# gallbladder case, and the staff filling me in on all of the current events; namely, just how many wives Elizabeth Taylor had been, how many children she had had, whether or not her eyes really were purple, and just how big her ring really was.

They took ET out of the google que and put in 10 year wedding anniversary, to see which one it was. I told them I hoped it was rice, or beans, or something. They seemed to think it was Diamond. Well, it originally was aluminum. Perfect, I figured we could go to Chipotle and get a foil-wrapped burrito, and that would count. Then they said the more modern 10 year anniversary is diamond... I figure it should be 75 years or something, but most likely that one isn't very popular in the commercial world because nobody stays married that long anymore. Sell lots more jewels if you move it up a few decades... Don't go from tin to Gold, and then Diamond, just get the diamond out of the way while you still have a chance.

Seems pretty ridiculous to me that everyone expected me to have these amazing plans of driving home from work in a limo, picking up my wife with flowers in hand, ring in the box, and whisking her off to the most expensive eatery in Ohio. I suppose anything less would be a sign that I don't really love my wife, right?

Well, she had to settle with me coming home a few minutes early so I could stay with the little kids while she went to pick up Jan from her running class, and swing by and pick up the sitter on her way home. Then we went off to a romantic appointment in our 14-year old car (that works perfectly well, by the way) where I dropped her off at the salon to get her hair done for about 2 hours (have to take advantage of a sitter when you can get one). I spent the time studying for an exam I have here in a few days, and then we went out to one of our favorite restaurants and had a wonderful time talking about stuff and things (something we hardly ever get a chance to do).

On our way home we went to Barnes & Noble to look at books, never bought anything, and came home. We had a wonderful time, I think, and I didn't have to go into debt. We have one of the best relationships I have ever seen, or been around as far as I can tell. I am continually amazed by how wonderful my wife and best friend is, and do my best to help when I can, talk and listen when I am awake, and tell her how much I love her as often as I can. She does an amazing job of never criticizing me, helping me, protecting me, and keeping an amazingly good attitude in spite of a horrific schedule, 4 young children to rear, and a challenging income and environment with few real friends or family readily available.

Not sure what the next 10 years will bring, but if I get to spend any part of them with her, it will not matter. How did I ever get so blessed to be married to her for 10 years? She said "sure," when I asked her.