Ten Years

Today Steven and I celebrated 10 years of marriage (technically it was yesterday since it is now nearly 1:15 in the morning on June 10.  We ended our date with a trip to Scooters where I drank a candybar latte that I am now paying dearly for).  At any rate . . . 10 years of marriage.  An entire decade.  There are thousands of thoughts swirling around in my head as I try to put to words what that means to me.  I love Steven.  He is the perfect fit for me.  I am high strung while he is grounded.  We are the perfect balance, like vanilla creamer in my morning cup of coffee.  I think coffee is pretty bitter until I pour in some vanilla creamer.  Mix them together and it is heaven in a cup.  Steven is my vanilla creamer.  He makes my life more flavorful. 

To celebrate 10 years we went out to dinner where we talked without being interrupted.   I did not have to cut up anyone's entree or walk someone to the bathroom in the middle of a meal.  We got to talk about grown up stuff and it was wonderful.  Afterward I took him on a wild goose chase to a park that I was sure he had never been.  We were lead from one detour to another as street after street was closed.  He wanted to give up, but I assured him it would be worth his while.  When we finally got there, we stayed long enough to take a few pictures because the mosquitoes were eating us alive. 

I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted the pictures to look like, but like life, things don't always turn out the way you expect them to.

Sometimes the unexpected turns out better than you could have imagined.

Kind of like our marriage.  Not all of it has gone the way I imagined it would, but the good and bad have been woven together perfectly like a beautiful tapestry. 

After our park adventure we went downtown to the Haymarket.  It is filled with wonderful memories.  For one, our wedding reception was at a beautiful loft in the heart of it.  We also had several wedding pictures taken at the train depot that I had the brilliant idea to recreate. 

This was the picture I had in mind. 

Steven didn't want to hang from the train.  He said he isn't that limber anymore.  So, I did it instead.

Then we took this picture

and these . . .

After our nostalgic photo shoot, we had coffee at Scooters (both pictures were taken with my phone, thus the less than perfect quality).

That was my favorite part of the whole night.  Especially when it started to pour down rain and Steven walked in it to get the car so I didn't have to (I melt, you know).  It is because of that late night trip to Scooters that I am still awake at 2:00 in the morning.  That, and my head is spinning with wonderful memories of tonight and the past 10 years.  I can't wait for the next 10.  I have an idea of what it will be like and high hopes that I know might not turn out the way I want.  But, 10 years of marriage has taught me that some of life's greatest gifts come wrapped in unexpected packages.