I put celebrate in quotations because other than a quick kiss on the cheek and a whispered "Happy Anniversary" followed by a mumbled "You too" before I left the house this morning, there won't be any typical celebrating.
We won't toast champagne over an elegant steak dinner. We won't lie on the beach for hours as our fruity drinks sweat in the Caribbean heat. We won't spend all day watching a movie marathon with take-out on our couch.
This week has seen little shut eye with a coughing Cohen, a puking Freddie, and a big school project that Ainsley needs to finish before tomorrow. I think both of us would trade the beach for a secluded bed in a dark room for the next 72 hours. Still, beats last year when we were battling the lice. That is actually one of my favorite posts. It is absolutely the truth about marriage.
I think back over the last nine years. Nine is not a very exciting anniversary. Just shy of that decade mark. Years behind our predecessors. Years ahead of the newlyweds out there. Still, a lot has happened in nine years. We've been broke, we've been uprooted, we've grown our family, we've lost loved ones. A lot of life happens in nine years. And when you start stacking nine years on top of nine years on top of nine years, before you know it a lifetime will have passed.
So last night, Clif and I were joking about our anniversary and how it never seems to be about us anymore. I said "I passed right by a CVS today on my walk and I didn't even go in and get you a card." He said "Well, I didn't get you one either." And we laughed. Because we both think cards are a waste of money but it is a small, fairly simple gesture. Yet neither of us took the time to do it.
"We aren't very good at making it about us," I said. And he said, "Look around. How could we possibly? Don't worry babe, one day it will be all about us again."
And he's right. One day there won't be sick kids to sit up with. There won't be projects cluttering the kitchen table. There won't be babies being born the day before with birthdays to celebrate every year. There won't be lice to comb out and kill.
One day, we'll be able to celebrate our anniversary for weeks at a time if we so desire. For now we'll just take the quick kiss on our ways to our respective days.
So Clif, Happy Anniversary. We have seen ups and downs. Good times and bad times. I don't have time for you and you don't have time for me. But we still love each other and we've agreed to stay on the ride...at least until next year. We're already planning a 10 year anniversary vacation...without the kids. After that, I'm not making any promises.
