Yet another meaty celebration

By the time I post this, my 13th wedding anniversary will have come and gone.

October 1, 1994 seems a world away now. We were so young and naive... We're still pretty naive, but we haven't been young for a lo-o-ong time. Accordingly, we decided a few weeks ago to make it a pretty low-key celebration, consisting primarily of catching up on the TiVo programs and scratching ourselves. Ah, the simple joys of life!

As fate would have it, we were instead invited by two of our favorite people for a night out, featuring a lavish steak dinner at Bynum's and wonderful company. Few things can tempt Mark away from hibernation on a Monday evening, but this opportunity provided 3 of his favorite things all in one fun-packed outing: brother Jack & sister-in-law Alison (who are here in Indy ever so briefly for their annual visit from their Hawaiian paradise), good conversation and MEAT.

As you would expect, a jolly time was had by all - certainly beats the bejeezus out of TiVo, to say the least. Despite being delayed by emergency interstate closings and therefore missing out on the yummy prime rib, we were all in good spirits and had a great time. We consumed massive quantities of beef, cheese, bacon and onion blossom, which account for 4 of Mark's Top 5 Things to Put in His Face. Topping off an already terrific evening, we adjourned to Mark's ancestral home to visit with his dad and the other honored out-of-town guests, Uncle Joe & Aunt Mary Ellen. We also enjoyed some of Alison's scrumptious blueberry cheesecake, which we somehow managed to cram into our already-distended stomachs. Somehow my tummy always makes room for cheesecake... which would explain how my tummy got so roomy!

So we had a grand anniversary, due in large part to the generosity of Jack & Alison. We of course appreciate the dinner tremendously (as well as the gift of macadamias), but much more precious was the time spent with loved ones from far away. Their time here in Indiana is always very limited, and they inevitably find themselves in great demand while they are here. Mark & I feel honored and blessed that they took time out of their busy schedule to spend some private time with us & to help us celebrate in style.

We thank you both heartily, and look forward to spending more time with you when next we meet - which would be in Hawaii if I had my way... We will miss you when you're gone, and we won't forget to go ahead & start making plans now for your next visit, so we can have first dibs. It will take us that long to think of some fun adventures for us, anyway... Unless you consider Wal-mart to be a fun adventure. *sigh!*

And lest I forget, a huge thank you also to the person who made today's celebration possible. It is only due to his poor judgement and questionable taste that we had an anniversary to celebrate in the first place. I thought for sure that once those things improved he'd drop me like a bad habit, but so far he seems pretty sure he wants to stick around. I may not understand why, but I'm no fool - I'll take him for as long as he'll have me (and possibly longer - I've been perfecting my stalking techniques).

Thank you, Mark, for always being by my side (and on my side) when I've needed you most. Thank you for being a loving husband, a caring son-in-law, and a wicked awesome uncle/godfather. Thank you for not freaking out when I became ill and could no longer work - instead, you remained calm and focused, ready to meet each challenge as it comes. Thank you for assisting me with all the many things, big and small, that I need some help to accomplish - ranging from shopping trips and cleaning the house to helping me get out of bed and making me breakfast.

Mostly, thank you, Mark, for always loving me, for staying with me through thick & thin and for never giving up on me - or on us. That alone is the best anniversary present I could ever get,

I love you, honey. Happy 13th Anniversary!