thankful.

Lately I've been waking up at around 5:30 every morning. It's as early as I used to get up for school when I taught, and I remember why I liked it: I'm the only one up in the house, and I can stumble around a bit and wake up fully before I'm on Mommy Duty. It's nice. Right now the only sound I can hear is that of the dishwasher in the kitchen. Side note: I now understand why people want quiet dishwashers. This one's loud.

Chris and I were married five years ago today. Right about now I think I was up and showered already, wishing my bridesmaid Kim a happy birthday, and eating breakfast. It's so weird to look back on the people we were then. So young. Chris was 23 and I was 26 (he has a July birthday, so for a few months of every year I'm - gasp - three years older than he is). We were kids. In our wedding picture, Chris is clean-shaven, and I'm several (okay, many) pounds lighter and have fewer wrinkles.


I love looking back at this and comparing it to how we look, how we feel, where we are today. Chris looks ten years older now because he has a beard and I don't mind the wrinkles. The pounds, yes, but I actually think the wrinkles are a badge of honor. On my forehead and around my eyes, they're worry lines. I worry so much. Chris helps me with that. Around my mouth, they're laugh lines. And I am happy to have them.

We got a card from Chris' mom and dad the other day for our anniversary. In it they wrote that we're made for each other, and I couldn't agree more. Chris has the patience of Job, which is essential. I can be tough sometimes. For instance, yesterday I was eating yogurt with honey while typing on my laptop. I got honey one the n and b keys, apparently, and they're sticky. I got honey. On my laptop. He doesn't know yet but I'm sure when he reads this he'll just roll his eyes and say, 'Byron....'


He is the funniest person I've ever met. When we first started dating in 1999, I worried that it would wear off, this wow-he's-so-funny thing. I thought it would get old or boring, but it hasn't. These days I owe my (rare) funny one-liners to the fact that my brain has developed a WWCS (what would chris say) lobe. If I see something funny and he's not around, I get bummed out, because I'll have to tell him about it later. And my story will inevitably be long and drawn out and terrible. Usually after I tell a story I say, 'that was a terrible story, wasn't it?' And he usually says, 'yes.' Fact.

Other people like being around him. Other people are drawn to him. I've heard people say, 'who doesn't like Chris?' He is social and caring and fun. He said to me the other day that, while I'm the more introverted partner in this marriage, he needs to be around other people as much as he can. Socializing, talking to people, having fun, laughing, and building relationships - to him it is air. I admire that so much and hope that Ben inherits that from his dad. And every day I try to take a page from his book and learn to be more carefree and in-the-moment.

I admire my husband. I am so proud of him. He has integrity. He is a hopeful optimist. He is talented and modest, humble and kind. I am thankful, and fortunate, to be his wife. I'm glad we found each other.

Alright. Because I know Chris' head is going to balloon up and we'll never be able to get him down, and because it's 6:58 and my son is yelling DADADADADA from his crib, I'll sign off.

I love you, Christopher. Happy 5 years!