15 Years of Wedded Bliss

OK - so it was not 15 years of total bliss - I would be lying if I said we never had "our moments". I will admit to having more moments than Chris, but I will blame it on hormones (isn't that the standard excuse for women?). But yes, believe it or not, Chris and I have been married for 15 years. We celebrated our anniversary yesterday. So for all of you who thought I would not make it past even one year.... neener neener neener :) I have to admit, things were "rocky" in the beginning. Living on a sailboat, you do tend to rock quite a bit. Not that things were that much better in the houseboat (although I did have plumbing there). After 5 years of boat living, we went on to apartment living. Not just normal apartment living, but a year and half of managing an apartment complex for the mentally ill. From there we went on to a beach condo, a small starter home with pool and on to the historic mansion in Old Town. I have to admit, that my most fond memories of when we were living on boats and dirt poor. I never realized at the time how poor we were, but looking back, I am amazed that I was so clueless. Finally, we ended up back in Alabama, only to take off for another 2 years and go to Iraq, followed by a half year in Germany. So at this point, I am wondering #1 - what exactly is normal living? and #2 How did we survive for so long? As far as the answer to number one.... I have no answer. I mean - really - what IS normal and why do we strive to be normal? As far as the answer to #2 - the only answer I could think of was - LOVE. Yep, I truly believe Chris loves me unconditionally. He would have to for him to put up with me for 15 years. He has truly been my rock. Despite my weaknesses and shortcomings, he has been there for me - through thick and thin. OK - so I have not been thin since long before we were married - but you get my drift. Every year, for our anniversary we go out to a nice place to eat (OK - so one year, we had no choice but to go to the chow hall at Camp Fallujah - but I still count that as going out to eat). This year, I told Chris I did not want to go out to eat. We seriously eat out way too much - even though we have cut down on it. I also did not see the sense in exchanging gifts. Its not like we don't already buy whatever we want anyway - so why get a gift for each other just for the sake of giving a gift? Does it sound like the honey moon is over? Well, not exactly - I would just prefer to spend the time home - alone with him. By alone, I mean - no phones and especially no computers. I made Chris a photo album (well - it is not quite done - but I got a good start on it - and I am pretty sure he does not mind that I finish it later) and he gave me a massage. I have to admit it was a very nice anniversary and I enjoyed the time home alone with him. I can't wait for the next 15 years of bliss.