On Monday night at about 9:30, J-Dub says something to me from across the living room. Since my ears aren’t exactly what they used to be, I repeat back to him, “Oh crap, you have to get groceries tomorrow???”
He repeats himself. This time much louder and stressing every syllable as a vein pops out of his forehead, “I SAID,’OH CRAP! OUR ANNIVERSARY’S TOMORROW.”
“Oh, crap. It is.”
Now last year, I would’ve known that our anniversary was the next day. I would have bought a mushy card, and just tried to catch him in forgetting it, since men are notorious for that. But that just goes to show how much a new little wee one sucks every brain cell right from your formerly astute mind. I’m lucky to remember to turn off the iron these days.
So on June 12th (our 8 year anniversary), we arose at 5:00 a.m. J-Dub told me Happy Anniversary first since I forgot again, then made me an anniversary coffee before he saddled his horse, while I stumbled around readying myself and EK for a small road trip to help a friend work his cattle.
I never have made much of a hand in the cattle working department, and now since I have EK (whom one of his friends has nicknamed Sticker. He says she’s like a little cactus and once she sticks to you…..well, I don’t remember exactly how it goes, but you probably get the idea.) Anyway, since I have EK, I’m completely exempt from working at these cattle gatherings. I wear shorts and flip flops and hang out holding the baby.
After the day of cattle work, and getting my car from the shop, and visiting with my mom for a while, we loaded up the baby and drove to Amarillo that evening. Since we’re die-hard romantics, we figured we might as well celebrate a little. So we grabbed some supper and ordered extra egg rolls at Pei Wei, which I pronounce Pee Wee and Jason insists its Pay Way. Just another petty argument which has helped make the past 8 years blissful.
I’m sure he’s right since he usually is.
No really.
He usually is.
Then we stopped at Starbuck’s for a frappuccino (mine with whipped cream, his without) before heading home and straight to bed for me and EK. He probably fell asleep in his chair watching Monty Walsh. Then there came a heck of a rainstorm in the night.
And that’s our life.
I raise my frappuccino to simply enjoying morning coffees, spending time smelling cattle hair burning, fussing over how to pronounce a word, rainstorms, falling asleep in the recliner, and of course our little Sticker, who is bringing our marriage and our ability to love to an entirely different dimension.
I’m so blessed.
Angel Wheeler 