a fabulous, ordinary anniversary

Sunday was mine and Andrew's seventh anniversary.  For seven years, we've been trying our best to live out the vows we made to each other.  Some seem pretty easy... fidelity, check.  Love, check.  Others, like honor, can be trickier though.  Do I really honor Andrew each day--even on the days when it feels like both babies and both dogs have been screaming all day?  Do I cherish him appropriately, cherish the way he takes care of our family, even on the days when I feel like I have nothing to wear and my hair is showing too much gray and I haven't had the chance to wash said gray hair in three days?

Like most couples, we usually try to do something special on our anniversary.  This year, though, we couldn't get a babysitter on July 15th, so we went on a date the night before.  Our actual anniversary was thus filled with the normal routine of a young family.  Two doctors appointments (one for me and one for a sick kid); a rendezvous at the park to switch off on kid duty; singing, reading, playing, and doing whatever else is necessary to entertain 22 month olds; walking the dogs; tired, pregnant mommy taking a nap when dad got home from work.  Sure, Andrew cooked a lovely dinner and we watched our wedding video, but mostly it was business as usual.  And maybe that's appropriate sometimes.

I fully support lavish celebrations, but perhaps it's good to occasionally spend a day remembering and renewing your vows in the midst of life's monotony.  After all, it's never difficult to love and cherish one another when you're sipping chianti in Tuscany or basking in Mexico's glorious sun.  But it's the day to day living...the remembering to say thank you when your spouse is especially kind...the trying to get ready a few minutes earlier so that your coffee-addicted husband will have time to stop at starbucks...that really matter.  It's the intentional affection we give in the middle of our routine that makes a marriage work.

So Happy Anniversary, Andrew.  Thanks for making Monday such a fabulous, ordinary day.  I love you.