I See What You Meme

On the week of our 16th wedding anniversary , I have been thinking a lot about expiration dates.  Does that sound scary? Trust me. There is no need to panic.  In fact, I think about all of the things that our marriage has witnessed in 16 years.  We have lived in 5 homes in 4 different cities. We have gone through six different vehicles. We have replaced appliances, silverware, plates, sheets, dishcloths, electronics, and countless batteries.  We have remodeled a kitchen and a bathroom, replaced a roof, put in a new heat pump, and cut down numerous dying trees in our yard.   We raised a child through her fourth year and watched her die . It seemed like a lifetime, yet it was far too short.  Many things in our lives come with expiration dates.  Some have warranties included.  I admit that I frequently get suckered into purchasing the extended warranty for my appliances and higher end electronics.  There is always the question of, "What ...

On this day in 1997, Roger and I got married, surrounded by 120 (or so) friends and family.  It was a simple, beautiful, and fun event that marked the start of an amazing adventure that we call our life.  As I thought this week about what I might say in a blog post about our marriage, I had many ideas. I could list the reasons why I love Roger. I could share the things that I have learned about relationships in our 14 years together. I could recount many of the memories (good and bad) that have become our lives.   None of it seemed to hit the right tone. I don't know if there is a secret to our successful marriage. I've seen other friends and family get married. Many of them have also seen divorce. Our lives have seen joy and loss, success and failure. Is our marriage successful because we are a good match or is it because we do the right things and make the right decisions? I'm not sure. Every day I feel lucky to be married to one of my best friends. I don't thin...

Woke up this morning to this witty and heartfelt post from my husband. Happy Birthday to Me! The World's Most interesting Man Wishes He Was Her by Roger Reynolds On this day in 1975, a child was born in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Upon entry into the world,she promptly looked around the hospital room and began organizing things alphabetically and by color. During a 3rd grade field trip to the Kennedy Space Center, a NASA scientist heard her ask, "Are you sure you want to do it that way?" And then she showed him how.  After that, Tang became obsolete. When she entered college, extra staff were assigned to manage her file and break it up into smaller components so as not to make the senior faculty feel inadeuqate. That's what I've had to live with for 14 years. Happy Birthday to the love of my life! Aw, shucks.  Thanks, hon'!

Tonight is the Series Finale of Big Love .  Since I don't have HBO, I will have to wait for the DVDs to see the finale myself. I became a fan of the show after hearing the series' creators discuss it on the NPR show Fresh Air in 2007.  I'm currently halfway through season 4.   Personally, I think Big Love is one of the most underrated series on television.  If you've never watched, the premise is that Bill Henrickson (played by Bill Paxton) is a Mormon in Utah who was raised at a fictional polygamist compound called Juniper Creek. At the tender age of 18, he is cast out of the compound (as all boys are) and starts a new life, intending to rid himself of the questionable ethics he found in his upbringing within the cult at Juniper Creek.  He finds success running a chain of home improvement stores and somehow, through a series of life-changing events, finds himself living a polygamist lifestyle, married to three women as he practices what the LDS church ca...