Happy Anniversary, Love!

Before Mark and I got married, I had this romantic notion that love was all about the glamorous things you see in movies or read about in books, the fireworks and dozens upon dozens of fresh flowers. Through the ten years Mark and I have been together, nine of them as a married couple, I have learned quite a bit more about love, fireworks and all.

Here we are on our way out on a date to celebrate our anniversary. I wanted to put a picture of us on our wedding day to compare to these, but all of those pictures are safely packed away from the hurricane in a box in our car. I'll save the comparisons for another day.

I treasure any alone time I get with Mark and LOVE going out on dates. It makes me feel giddy. It was pouring rain as we made our way out to the car in Tulsa, where we have evacuated as Hurricane Gustav made its way across the gulf, so we took a quick picture of each other in the car to remember the night and then put the camera away. We tried taking a few of ourselves together, but none of them worked out, so we'll have to settle for the across the car shots. Before we left, we fed the kids and got them bathed and ready for bed. My little brother, Brendan, agreed to put them to bed half an hour later for us (thanks again, Brendan!) and we were off.

Mark has been madly studying for the USMLE Step 2 and has had an especially difficult time getting anything done with the evacuation and the worry about the hurricane. Even though he needed to study, he took a short break this morning to go out and buy me flowers. We don't know Tulsa's flower shops well, so he stuck with the always beautiful and classic red roses.

I wanted to write something to express, in some small measure, how I feel about him on our anniversary:

Permit me to thank YOU (somewhat publicly), Mark, for all that you teach me and for loving me in just the right way....Thank you for all of the flowers you have given me, even though they quickly die (thus becoming a waste of money). Thank you for trying your hardest to stay awake and respond to the verbal barrage that somehow always escapes from me in the quiet darkness that accompanies bedtime. Thank you for pushing me to try new things and develop my talents. Thank you for caring about my opinion and taking time to ask me what I think and how I feel. Thank you for listening to me without judgment and not believing that I really mean it when I complain or show a lack of faith. Thank you for giving me and others around you the benefit of the doubt. Thank you for helping me laugh at myself when I get stressed or too serious. Thank you for kissing me first when you walk in the door and last before you leave. Thank you for being as excited to see me as I am to see you when you get home. Thank you for playing with our kids and taking interest in everything they wait to tell you. Thank you for singing lullabies, rocking kids to sleep and working on projects with our five little ones. Thank you for being a great dad! Thank you for always having enough faith to look past the moment to see the bigger picture. Thank you for believing in my mothering skills, even when you watch me fail. Thank you for sweeping me off of my feet, over and over again. Thank you for all of the "small things" you do everyday to bless my life like: sitting down to fold laundry with me when I get behind, taking the heavy trash bag out to the curb, calling me whenever you get a chance or cleaning the house while I am away. Thank you for giving me breaks when I am overwhelmed. Thank you for balancing your busy schedule and always putting me and our kids first. Thank you for making my life better! Thank you for choosing me.

For all of these things and many others,Thank you! It just keeps getting better. I liebe Dich fuer immer und ewig! Happy Anniversary to you.