Happy Anniversary, Sweet Husband!

My darling husband, on the anniversary of the day we eloped.  (That's right, we eloped--it was awesome.  Story for another time.)

On that day, I had no doubt.  Is that crazy?  Do you remember how the two of us forgot that whole day long that it WAS crazy to just run off on a Monday in November and get married in your minister friend's backyard?  That it seemed the most obvious, most natural, most wonderful thing in all the world to be there, that moment with one another.
What a joyous day.  No attendants, no gifts, no music, no cake--although the pecan pie was pretty good.  No invitations, no kids' table, no flower petals or live doves.  Just a perfect kiss.
And I know our honeymoon was two years in the making, what with getting pregnant right away and then you getting deployed.  But wow, has anyone ever had a better honeymoon?  Whisked away to Hawaii for a week, elated to be reunited after months of being apart.
And that room?  That view?  It doesn't even spoil it for me that they tried say we got the great view as a mistake on our last day there--it kinda makes it better that we basically got a HUGE upgrade for free.
And then whisked away again, to the other side of the world.  You took me to the islands, and then you took me to the place where time begins.  We held hands at the center of the map.
You braved the scariest bus ride in the history of mankind in order to wake me up on Valentine's Day in Paris.  We were both terrified, but you were carsick, too, and still you stuck it out for me.

You drove across the Iberian Peninsula, where the two of us with our pidgin Spanish offended every individual across whose path we passed, and you taught me to love olives.  And you gave me moments where I realized I can go anywhere with you, forever, all our lives.  You gave me a best friend and a constant companion and a total trust in your love for me that will never, never fade.  You gave me family dinners every night, and a hand to hold in dark movie theaters, and the excitement of never quite knowing what you'll say next.  You gave me new eyes and a new life.

And as shocked as we both were, by the time we got home, you gave me the greatest gift ever: a new baby, another honeymoon baby, another person in our family to love.

I am so grateful for the night we met, and for every day after.  Happy anniversary, my darling.  I'll see you at dinner tonight, and we can hold hands under the table.