Zen and the Art of Speedskating

Jess & I just passed our 8th wedding anniversary, and our 10th year of being together. I am at a loss to find words to properly encompass the joys and challenges of the past year. It has been the best of times and some of the hardest of times.

Between becoming parents and Jessica’s severe illness, our relationship has been tested thoroughly, and we passed….

Now we are not just 2, we are 3, the word FAMILY has been thrown into a clarity I never before understood, both within our house, and reflecting on the wonderful families that raised us & who really came through when we needed them…

This is a cause for celebration– so hand us 2 dozen oysters & a glass of wine, it’s time for some BIVALVICIDE!!

So much was talked about over dinner. Oddly enough we talked more about some close friends who are having some truly terrible times more than about ourselves. This world can be a weird, cruel place sometimes, and our focus is often outward, even during a dinner to celebrate us.

After oysters & wine were done, we walked next door, started in on some sushi and sake!

Excessive?? maybe, but through pregnancy, and because of some of the very powerful immune-suppressive drugs Jess has been on because of her illness, we haven’t eaten like this in a long, long, long time (and can’t afford to again, for a long, long time).

Only the edge of Jess is visible in the above photo, but I still look at her with stars in my eyes. My sentimentality annoys her sometimes, as she is the logical side of our marriage, but I prefer honesty, and I honestly love her with all that I am, and I’m proud to say so out loud in pubic places.

I’ve written about our 7th anniversary (spinning rings)

And the 6th one (Jess doing a long swim, something I could never do)

5th Anniversary (I like this entry the best, writing-wise & muddy dog photos)

and the 4th Anniversary (Blog had not really evolved yet, primordial entry)

May this year be more remembered for the joy Arzelia has brought into our lives than anything else.

My past entries were more “arty” than this year’s, but I had more “space” for contemplation then. I used to think my life was “busy”. Ha… how little I knew! A blog can be a personal index, where you can look back on where you were at that time in your life, and marvel. This is post #631… Wow…

(P.S. Thanks Ashlee Barnett for babysitting! You made this dinner possible!!)

Filed under: from the coffee shop