20 Years and He's Still Here!

20 years ago yesterday, I met a young man that, unbeknownst to him, would become my soul mate, my business partner, my best friend, my confidant, my rock, my balance, and father to two beautiful little girls. 20 Years ago yesterday, I saw this young man in a local bar, the FIRST gay bar he'd ever walked into at the tender age of 21 and bought him a beer and a cup of coffee. 

Since that fateful night, my life has grown and has been only enriched by him at my side. I am the eternal optimist, he tempers my sometime head-in-the-sky optimism with his pragmatism. I push him take risks he would otherwise never try. He keeps me from taking too many risks. 

Through our years together, like any couple, we have had fights. Some small, some huge. We have made up with a simple apology to an passionate embrace. He has cried on my shoulder and I his. And although corny to say, he completes me.

I wanted to write this earlier and have it posted on the blog the day of our Anniversary along with photos of his present which was still on a truck making it's way to Boston. But life and work got in the way. So I am a day late.

As I sit here typing, he is upstairs watching his favorite shows he's recorded with the DVR. It's the only time he gets to watch what he wants rather than the cavorting of the likes of the Wiggles, Barney, The Fresh Beat Band, Ni Hao Kai Lan…you get the picture.

I, on the other hand, never really a big TV person, tend to catch up on work, read, or design things. For our anniversary, I designed a Dresser and Wardrobe and had it made in Idaho and shipped here. And since I didn't get to the post in time, I sent him an e-mail with the photos the shop took for me before sending it out. Romantic huh?

That's okay, for our anniversary, we got a night off. Granny and our Niece Hannah came and stayed over night to babysit the girls while I booked ourselves into a Hotel in Back Bay, Boston. We worked a half day, then just drove into Boston and prayed we wouldn't get a frantic phone call from Granny or Hannah asking for us to come home and rescue them.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be in Boston yesterday. The temperature was just right, the sun was shining, we walked to the Commons, window shopped in Hoity-Toity designer stores, bought the girls some FABULOUS fall boots, and just relaxed. 

As 6PM rolled around, our normal time for getting home and then being mobbed by the girls, it was a strange feeling. We sat in the Hotel room on our bed watching a movie…a real adult movie (and no, not THAT kind of adult movie) and were able to enjoy it without begin interrupted but little girls jumping on us, screaming at us, screaming at each other, bombing up and down the hall way, asking for juice, etc. The constant turbulence that is children wasn't there. It was refreshing, relaxing, and just down right WEIRD.

You begin to appreciate the ability, as human beings, we all have for adapting so quickly to a situation. You begin to have a much more appreciative understanding of why we are at the top of the food chain. 

That evening, we were meeting Eva's Godfather, Jon, with his friend and another friend of ours for dinner in a little Chinese Restaurant in Cambridge. Jon was a good friend of the owner of the restaurant. We got there a little late, but what a wonderful meal. Otto, the owner was most gracious and reminded me of my father. The meal was just delicious, everything was fresh. Including the special fish soup and platter he made just for our party. One of the cooks even brought out the live fish for our inspection before it met it's delicious demise.

Afterward, we got Ice Cream at Toscano's, a staple to the locals, sat out in the open air parkway and just enjoyed the energy of the city, the beautiful weather, and the ability to have a conversation that did not consist of phrases such as…"Did you poop? Where's your sister? Don't play with your food, eat it! COME BACK HERE AND GET SOME CLOTHES ON!" We finished the evening off by sleeping until nearly 8am…Now that is a luxury! 

Our return home, after we stopped in at Ihop for breakfast, was welcomed by our daughters clinging to us for the rest of the day. There schedule was off do to the change. It makes them uneasy and they were very vocal in their displeasure about this change. But, they survived. More importantly, Granny and Hannah survived. Mike and I decided we need to do this again, maybe in another six months just to refresh.

As much as we both adore and love our girls, they are exhausting. They are high-maintenance, high-energy little toddlers that require an exhaustive amount of patience and energy on our part. It seems the quieter models with the bluetooth MUTE remote came along after we got ours. Dang.

To my husband, you're still with me. Wow. We have children. Holy crap how'd that happen?! But more importantly, thank you for still being here and completing my life. I love you with all my heart.

Baba