10 Years

Today is our 10 year wedding anniversary - I can still remember our wedding day like it was yesterday.  It's funny how certain days of your life stick out.  Not surprising that a wedding day would, I suppose.  I know it's a milestone of sorts, but as a friend of mine pointed out last week, every year is a big anniversary - you are together another year! 

I certainly won't kid you and say it's been an easy walk in the park; John and I are very different about certain things, so of course we have our share of arguments.  And I'm sure he'll tell you that I lose my patience pretty quickly - sometimes my expectations might be a little too high (not just of him, but of plenty of people in my life).  Since becoming parents, we've changed as individuals as well as a couple.  For the most part, I'd like to think we've changed for the better.  But we are still figuring out the parenting thing day by day, week by week.  Balancing family time around work is a challenge for every family - we certainly have that challenge and continue to strive to make it work.  How we grew up with moms who either stayed home or worked part time so that we almost didn't know they worked is very different than what Tommy has right now with two working parents.  Fortunately, he is thriving, he is happy, and he is loved.  We feel so blessed to be a family of three (plus two cats!). 

Usually we go out to dinner for our anniversary, but we don't have plans this year.  John is heading out to his 20 year reunion at the University of Dayton for the weekend, while T-man and I chill out at home, maybe hitting up the Belmar Seafood Festival if the weather cooperates.  We sort of skipped birthday gifts this year, then said we'd buy ourselves an iPad as a joint gift, which never happened.  But this week we finally ordered one - a refurbished one - a 'first generation' so to speak.  We'd initially said no gifts but since this is a joint one that we decided on together, we both agreed to make an exception!

Looking back 10 years, it's hard to believe how much our lives have changed.  But I feel we are exactly where we are supposed to be according to a master plan that we don't have any control over. 

I'm not a big romantic person at all...so I apologize if I'm not all sappy about this being our 10 year anniversary.  I'm more the practical gal...I don't need a new ring to commemorate the milestone.  I'd prefer to see the kitty litterboxes cleaned out without me asking for several days in a row, house projects started and finished, and the occasional "why don't you go get a mani/pedi or go to a movie while I stay with Tommy?"  Those things would all make me pretty happy. John would probably say he'd like to be able to lounge on the couch and nap on and off all day, play 72 holes of golf without me getting mad, and a day free of honey-do lists. 

Looking at this picture below - we look so young!  Yikes!  John is grayer, I'm not quite as blonde, and while we have our ups and down together, we have been able to work through those downs so far, which says a lot in today's age.  Sure, John is way more laid back than me, and yes, I am a bit particular about things, but hopefully Tommy got the best of both of us, since he's the best thing that's happened to us in our 10 years together as a family!  Happy anniversary to us!