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Happiest Anniversary

This week, Josh and I are celebrating our 9th anniversary.  After debating the pros and cons of numerous locales (Charlottesville sure looks interesting sort of!  And Deep Creek Lake would be lovely if it wasn’t dripping with memories of a past chemical pregnancy), we decided to go to Hershey because it (1) held no surprises, (2) had a hotel with a good fireplace which is perfect for reading time, (3) had chocolate in abundance as well as numerous alcoholic chocolate girlie drinks, and (4) had a free ride with singing, animatronic cows.

Wait, did I say that it held no surprises?

Would finding yourself one of only 6 hotel guests NOT attending the enormous Christian convention taking place this past weekend at the hotel be a surprise?

No?

So, we cozied around the hotel lobby fireplace with my vampire smut novels and Josh’s more erudite literature.  Just the two of us and over 1000 convention goers all discussing the theme of the weekend: “It’s All About Jesus.”

But wait — not only did we get 1000 convention goers, there was an enormous marching band convention happening in town too!  So if you were inside the building, you were listening to speakers screaming about Mary and Martha, and if you went outside the building, it was non-stop drum corp.

And we had an enormously fantastic time.

No, I’m serious — it was a really good time.

Save for the drum corp.

*******

We got home and immediately jumped back into running around and the shrieking schedule of life, and I wanted to stop for a second and just breathe in nine years.

Josh is this really incredible person, and I get to wake up every day with him.  Which is not to say that I always recognize that fact.  There are plenty of mornings where I roll over and hiss like a banshee trying to induce fear by lowering her voice: “your alarm went off.”

But what I’m trying to say is that banshee-hissing aside; when I am of sound mind and fully awake, I recognize that I married this incredible person who supports me in everything I do, including insane projects such as building numerous squirrel feeders in our kitchen (by the way, Josh, we’re building squirrel feeders today).

This story illustrates the type of person Josh is: two days before our wedding, I saw a news report while I was running that said local giving was down in the wake of 9/11 and some of the area soup kitchens didn’t have enough donations to put together Thanksgiving.  So I ran upstairs and woke him up, and made him call one of the soup kitchens and ask what we could bring.  The woman said “collard greens would help.”

So Josh went with me to the food store where we bought up all of the collard greens that they had out on display.  And then I told the cashier that I sort of needed all the collard greens in the store, and the cashier got them to bring out more collard greens.  So Josh filled his trunk (mind you, two days before our wedding when I had also given him a bunch of other tasks to do) with bags and bags of collard greens.

And he drove those collard greens downtown because I was too shy to go.

He didn’t laugh at me or roll his eyes or try to reason with me that a check would be easier than a collard green delivery.  He didn’t say, “this was your crazy idea; you go deliver a trunk-full of collard greens.”  No, he just gave me a kiss and said he’d see me in a bit, and he went downtown with his vegetable-laden trunk.

And that’s why I love him.

I love him because he makes me listen to his music and tell me that I like it when he knows that I don’t.  I love him because he tempers me when I’m running ahead with something that might not be a very good idea (such as the time I almost brought home the pet chicken, sweetie).  I love him because he forwards me newspaper articles I should read.

In other words, I love him because he makes me a better me.

And I love him because he makes 1000 sacrifices for our family.

Happy anniversary, Josh.

9 is half of 18, and is therefore, in Judaism, half of a life.  May our next 9 years be filled with even more Christian conventions and drum corps, more collard greens and squirrel feeders, more Wilco and New York Times.

I love you.

66 comments

1 Eve { 11.16.10 at 8:00 am }

Ooo, I’m the first!!!! Glad you had a great and decidely ‘unconventional’ anniversary weekend (yeah, it was a cheap shot at humor at 6am). 9 years is a wonderful accomplishment in this day and age…especially in the wake of infertility and twins! How lucky you are that Josh makes you better…and I’m sure he would say the same of you. May you both continue to inspire, humor and delight in one another for many more years to come.

2 Rach { 11.16.10 at 8:22 am }

Congratulations on your 9th anniversary!

Our 10th is two days away [the 18th] and I still can’t quite believe that we’ve been married for 10 years!

May you have a lifetime of happiness!

xx

3 N { 11.16.10 at 8:23 am }

Happy happy HAPPY anniversary. 😀

(and convention, or competition? I was hard-core marching band, and we had our regional competitions in hershey every year. alas, we didn’t get to partake in the candy or the park much, but that’s what field trips were for.)

4 Delenn { 11.16.10 at 8:43 am }

Happy Anniversary! You two sound so sweet and wonderful together! I was chuckling, thinking of you guys there among the Christians…

5 Tara { 11.16.10 at 8:55 am }

This made me cry…what a touching hommage to your husband. Happy Anniversary!

6 myinfertilitywoes { 11.16.10 at 8:58 am }

Awwww! I loved this! And cracked me up about all the Christian stuff that was going on! All About Jesus, huh? 🙂

7 jodifur { 11.16.10 at 9:01 am }

Happy Anniversary. Doug’s and my 9 year was in September and we are going away in 2 weeks, because it was the first week we could get all the stars aligned for the babysitters and a trip to a fabulous resort in CA. 9 feels so big doesn’t it?

8 Autism Mom Rising { 11.16.10 at 9:09 am }

I love this! Happy Anniversary.

9 loribeth { 11.16.10 at 9:27 am }

Happy anniversary! What a great post. : )

Did anyone try to convert you?? lol

Reminds me of when I was a teenager, on a family road trip to the west coast. We rolled into Calgary late one night without a reservation. Not only was it Stampede time, there was a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention in town. All the motels & hotels were booked solid. We finally got a room at one of the most expensive downtown hotels — directly above the bar, with the cowboys whooping it up to a live country band that went on until at least 2 a.m. We hardly slept a wink.

10 Michelle { 11.16.10 at 9:31 am }

Happy Anniversary!
I love Hershey. We are going after Thanksgiving for the weekend.

11 LJ { 11.16.10 at 9:34 am }

Happy anniversary to you both!!!

12 Ellen K. { 11.16.10 at 9:45 am }

Happy anniversary!

13 Rebecca { 11.16.10 at 9:55 am }

So awesome! Happy Anniversary!

14 Geochick { 11.16.10 at 9:59 am }

Happy Anniversary!

15 Keiko { 11.16.10 at 10:02 am }

Mazel tov 🙂 What a blessing, and a beautiful post. Happy Anniversary! (PS – did you buy any of the 5lb Hershey bars they sell in the gift shops? I love Hershey Park – haven’t been since high school, but I remember it fondly!)

16 Quiet Dreams { 11.16.10 at 10:13 am }

Happy Anniversary. Hershey Park sounds like a fabulous place to celebrate.

17 Brenda { 11.16.10 at 10:15 am }

Happy, happy anniversary!

18 a { 11.16.10 at 10:17 am }

Happy Anniversary!

19 luna { 11.16.10 at 10:18 am }

happy happy happy! to you both.

20 kerrik { 11.16.10 at 10:22 am }

What a great post. I really enjoyed reading it. Mazel Tov on 9 years of marriage, and best wishes for the next 9 and all that comes after.!

21 Sarah { 11.16.10 at 10:38 am }

Happy 9th Anniversary!

22 It is what it is { 11.16.10 at 10:39 am }

Happy, happy anniversary.

And, bravo to the men who support the women in their lives whole-heartedly but not fool heartedly.

23 Kir { 11.16.10 at 10:44 am }

HAPPY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY…to both of you.
Two amazing people who found one another..who share a life and make one another better.

(so glad you enjoyed Hershey…I love that Hotel myself. 😉

24 Dora { 11.16.10 at 11:03 am }

Happy anniversary, Mel and Josh. Oh, now I so want a chocolate cocktail.

25 Gil { 11.16.10 at 11:17 am }

Just dropping by to wish you both a wonderful, marvelous, deliriously happy anniversary! Congratulations on 9 years; may the next 9 be just as amazing!

26 Esperanza { 11.16.10 at 11:25 am }

Happy Anniversary. You two sound very blessed to be together!

27 Annacyclopedia { 11.16.10 at 11:29 am }

Congratulations, Mel and Josh! And I’m proud to add you to the list of my favourite people who got married the same year as Manny and I – not sure why that pleases me, but it does – the idea that the year I got married, all these future friends were in a similar space without any of us being aware of it. Kumbaya and interconnectedness and all that…

28 Elizabeth { 11.16.10 at 11:37 am }

Congratulations and happy anniversary! Love your stories – Mel, you are all heart 🙂

29 TheIdleMindOfBeth { 11.16.10 at 11:53 am }

Happy Anniversary to you Both!

30 AnnaMarie { 11.16.10 at 12:08 pm }

Happy Anniversary!!!

31 Alexicographer { 11.16.10 at 12:12 pm }

Happy anniversary!

32 JJ { 11.16.10 at 12:27 pm }

Happy Anniversary, you two. 🙂

33 Katie { 11.16.10 at 12:58 pm }

I absolutely love this post.
Happy anniversary!

34 Mina { 11.16.10 at 1:09 pm }

Happy anniversary!
May you have only the best in the years to come!

35 Mic @ IF Crossroads { 11.16.10 at 1:18 pm }

Awww! Happy Anniversary to you both!

36 HereWeGoAJen { 11.16.10 at 1:41 pm }

Happy anniversary! I am glad that you each found the perfect other person.

37 Cibele { 11.16.10 at 2:29 pm }

wishing you many many more years of happiness! Happy anniversary!

38 Kristin { 11.16.10 at 3:28 pm }

Happy Happy Anniversary to two of the most fabulous people I know!

39 Mrs. Gamgee { 11.16.10 at 3:46 pm }

Very Happy Anniversary to you both!

40 Vee { 11.16.10 at 5:03 pm }

Happy Anniversary guys! Cherish waking up with your man every morning. You two are beautiful. xx

41 Kristen { 11.16.10 at 5:25 pm }

Happy Anniversary! This post brought tears to my eyes. The romance and excitment of dating is thrilling, but the sacrifice, commitment and sense of humor needed to make a marriage last is beautiful.

42 TasIVFer { 11.16.10 at 5:46 pm }

Happy Anniversary. 🙂

43 Blanche { 11.16.10 at 5:50 pm }

Happy Anniversary!

As a C’ville native I sure hope you enjoy your visit there as much whenever you decide to go.

44 Kate (Bee In The Bonnet) { 11.16.10 at 5:59 pm }

Congrats on nine amazing years! Sounds like you guys had a lovely weekend in spite of the convention-goers and drum corps people.

45 Lori Lavender Luz { 11.16.10 at 7:02 pm }

You are both stellar people, worthy of each other.

Happy half a lifetime.

(And I love Wilco, too.)

46 Toni { 11.16.10 at 8:26 pm }

Awwww…that’s beautiful. Happy anniversary!

47 Rebecca { 11.16.10 at 9:26 pm }

Awe, Happy Anniversary!!! Heres to many, many more!

48 Barb { 11.16.10 at 9:53 pm }

Beautiful Mel! And Happy Anniversary! Soooo glad you two are so happy. xo

49 FET Accompli { 11.16.10 at 10:33 pm }

Happy 9th anniversary! I love the stories you shared to paint a picture of Josh.

50 R { 11.16.10 at 11:48 pm }

Happy 9th anniversary. I love that you are half way to a life together!

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