The Way You Look Tonight

September 4th is my 10 year wedding anniversary, people. TEN. YEARS. Ten very long years. Ten very short years. Why September 4th you probably don't care to ask? No one really knows. It's not significant, not in the way that say, if we waited exactly one week and took the plunge on September 11th would be significant. It was just a random date pulled out of our keisters, married outside with about 27 bucks to our name. Cheap and easy. (Like me. Heyyyy-ohhhh! Nothing is sacred).

Here is a small sampling of what I've learned and not learned in ten years:

1. Why am I still the designated underwear-on-the-bathroom-floor-picker-upper? And they're NOT EVEN MINE.

2. It's OK that not all those years were perfect, full of sparkles and unicorns and puffy stickers. Some were downright crap on a cracker. But admitting it means I'm turning somewhat human, right? Otherwise, I'm always perfect.

3. I still can't watch someone else hurl without clenching my teeth really, reeeally hard, or else I might blow chunks too.

4. After 10 years, the ball and chain still seems to think I like 3 Musketeers bars. I can't stand them. But thanks for trying.

5. No matter how many times I bitch that I DO NOT CHECK POCKETS when doing laundry, something important ends up in a pocket, gets washed and ultimately ruined and the world as we know it will come to end. How DARE I.

6. When I say "Don't buy me anything for my birthday, seriously" it ends up with me saying "I can't believe you didn't buy me anything for my birthday!". Some lessons will just NEVER be learned.

7. Boys are gross.

8. Boys are wonderful.

9. "I'll mow the lawn tomorrow, I SWEAR" really means it'll get done next week. Maybe. But probably not.

10. Aside from the financial mediocrity, we have a pretty great life.

What with our white trashy, poor-as-dirt wedding, I have no videos or big picture albums, no hope chest of wedding day mementos, no digital or online stuff, just a handful of pictures. And I'm perfectly OK with that. In fact, our Big Anniversary Day will be business as usual, send the boy off to school, work, work at the university, night classes, Top Ramen. We really know how to celebrate. One day we'll get our Tahitian vacation, though it'll probably take another 10 years.

Enjoy seeing a rare glimpse of me and a not-rare glimpse of me with a cocktail.

Smooching. Gross. I know. I don't like looking at it either.



Wearing a vintage 60's set, an Asian silk cocktail dress and beaded cardigan, the first thing I bought at an actual vintage clothing store. And yeah, the cardigan had moth chomps that I didn't even attempt to hide. I like to think of it as good luck holes. Or something.