August 09, 2003
14 years already?!
14th Anniversary - Hard to believe, isn't it? 14 years! Where has the time gone? And yet I would never have bet that I would enjoy being married more than I did those first few months. We now have so much fun with each other and the five kids! Shouldn't we be bored by now? Shouldn't we be at the "Yes, dear" stage? After all, we don't go on exotic vacations. We don't get to eat at restaurants much any more. But we are hardly ever bored. If you can afford a decent sized brood, flock, drove, pack, herd, gang, clan, troop, litter, gaggle, etc. of children, I highly recommend it! The latter eight years make the first six look boring!
Even though it was an anniversary, we had a pretty usual Saturday. We went to the YMCA for a morning step aerobics class. On the way back we stopped at Wendy's for an early lunch. I got a little nap during the boys' nap time while Michelle took the girls shopping at WalMart and our recently opened Target (pronounced "tar-ZHAY") on 101A. Claire and Abigail were proud to present us with this craft they made us for our anniversary. Claire also got me a shirt for work using her own money. I think it made her feel grown up to be able to give me a "real gift". I did a lot of bill paying and checkbook balancing during the afternoon.
I also cleaned and refueled the Mosquito Magnet. This was the first time I cleaned out the trap after six weeks of usage. It was pretty gross! I had never seen such a pile of dead, dried up mosquitos. At least I know it was working as advertised. After all this recent rain and humidity, we'll see if it continues to do its job. The conservation land adjacent to our property has a good deal of standing water now. That will be the real test.
After we got the boys down for the night, I ran to the Pasta Loft on the Milford Oval while Michelle put the girls down to bed. She and I ate our dinner on the screened in deck while listening to radio play 80's music. The 80's may not have been the best music made, but it's what we knew when we were dating and first got married.
There's plenty more to write about but it's getting late. I'll keep this just focused on the anniversary. I'll close with the best quote of the day:
"How do I love thee? Let me count the diapers."
Oh, how true! How true! *grin*
Hi Scott! Your entry is so sweet. It's good to hear how fun a marriage can be, because I feel it is punishment for shoplifting in some countries.
I'm sure I'm supposed to feel this way at my age. I'm still getting over being a 'wild' teenager and am not ready to let it go yet. When I think about starting graduate school and being a grown up I am not too happy. I'm sure in the next few years, I'll start to settle down, or atleast I hope.
Anyway, Happy Anniversary to both of you! Congrats and thank you for giving us so many wonderful additions to our family!
Posted by: Suzy at August 11, 2003 09:32 AMOne of the things that bugs me (and hopefully bugs others) is how television so often gives such a bleak outlook on married life. Consider how intimate relations on TV only appears exciting _outside_ of marriage. Inside of marriage it's almost always portrayed as monotonous and boring -- "been there, done that". On TV children are often disrepectful and the parents portrayed as buffoons who "just don't understand". Married couples rarely are portrayed as sincerely loving and giving. Instead they are on autopilot and trying to do the bare minimum. Judeo-Christian faith is almost always trivialized while other religions (Hindu, Buddhism, etc) are mystical, sacred, and novel. It's sad. Few have had the opportunity to really learn the beauty of the Catholic vision of sex, marriage, and family life.
Regarding your second point: Try not to think about "letting go" of your teenage years. Try to think about the advantages and opportunities you have available to you in the upcoming years. I loved Rose-Hulman and miss the many friends I made there. I enjoyed my time at Wright-Patterson. I don't miss the continuous stress of homework and labs. I don't miss the insanity of government/military bureacracy. Now I live in NH with a wife AND kids. It's completely different than the other two situations. I'm enjoying many of the present things and dealing with the not so pleasant. Rarely in my life has any situation lasted more than a few years without changing. School, work, homes, children, etc. So enjoy where you're at because, like the weather, it's going to change... again and again.
Posted by: Scott at August 11, 2003 01:39 PMThanks Scott- needed some brotherly advice :)
Posted by: Suzy at August 12, 2003 09:20 AMScott,
Love the new look! (and I like that picture of me) good job!