Happy Anniversary To Me

Today Mr. P and I have been married for 16 years.  Jokingly, I tell everyone "16 years of wedded bliss".  Unfortunately, the word "Bliss" doesn't even come close to describing our life and years together.  

Our dating was far from a courtship.  It was a whirlwind of parties and bars and friends.  I remember early on in our dating asking Mr. P why he never took me out alone, just the 2 of us.  Did he not enjoy spending time with just me.  His response was that really, right now, his friends were just more important, but if that ever changed he'd let me know.  About 1 1/2 years into this lovely courtship, I told him that I loved him.  His response to this was, "Boy, I really love this song".  At the time we were in his pool and listening to the radio.  Can you say, 'Please let me drown now?'  As much as these things make my dear Mr. P sound mean and like a big jerk, you gotta give the guy points for honesty.  I guess that was part of what made me stick it out for a little while longer.  

Fast forward a little and we come to the day he asked me to marry him.  So untrue to Mr. P form, he actually asked my dad if he could marry me before he asked me.  When he did ask me to marry him, it was truly unexpected.  We had talked about marriage before, but he always said, "I will ask you if and when I'm ready, but never before, so don't push me on the subject," and to be quite honest, I don't think that really bothered me, I guess I just felt like I knew that someday it would happen and I didn't need to rush things either.  We were very young and had our whole lives ahead of us.  So, me at age 22 and Mr. P at age 24, on September 12, 1992, we got married.  Of course, coming from the Italian family, it was a grand affair.  (We laugh at the thought that our wonderful hindsight tells us we probably should have taken the monetary equivalent of the cost of the wedding and run).  

16 years later, we are still together.  We are still madly, truly and deeply in love.  Mr. P may not be the sexiest man or even the smartest, but he is by far the truest, nicest and most thoughtful person I have EVER known (as well as the most annoying sometimes).  He is caring and considerate.  He is not a man who sends flowers or gives extravagant gifts on special occasions, but he is the man that always gets me a cup of coffee or water or candy bar at the store when he is running errands, just because.  He is the man that knows my moods (sometimes better than I do) and knows to treat me with kid gloves or harsh words if necessary.  He knows which stupid jokes and actions will still make me laugh and which will just aggravate me and when to actually use them.  He knows my favorite color, food, song, tv show, hobby, place, article of clothing . . . shall I go on?  But most of all, he knows me.  All of me.  The good, the bad, the ugly and the insecure.  He knows most (if not all) of every little secret or embarrassment I have ever had.  He is my life, my world, my one and only.  

Our life and marriage has been many things.  Blissful is definitely not one of them.  We have been through amazing times and dreadful times.  We have laughed, fought and pushed on together.  We have been through the birth of two amazing children together, one of which was a hellish ordeal in and of itself.  

We have been through some pretty scary and earth shattering changes in our life and marriage,  including some pretty intense sicknesses and injuries (the latest of which poor Mr. P is still battling), building his business together from the ground up, financial highs and very low lows, births of friends' and family's children, deaths of friends and family members, and so many other major life events, I would be posting for months to complete the list.  

Anyway, I say Happy Anniversary To Me.  I DID GOOD!  There are many decisions I have made throughout my life that I am not proud of, wished I hadn't made or just hoped things could have gone differently.  Being married to Mr. P is not one of them.  I love him - past, present and for always.  He is my man, my world.  I may have my I hate Mr. P moments, but they are always short-lived, for Mr. P undoubtedly and expectedly can find just the right action, phrase or gesture to make me smile.  And he sure knows how and when to use them.  So, again, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!   Oh, and you too, Mr. P - I love you.