guess what tomorrow is!

eleven years.

i'm thinking that's pretty good, considering how few relationships last that long. (and i'm guessing even fewer stay super extra-special as many years as ours has!)

what's our secret?

well, first-off, both we're super-nice people. i guess if you're trying to duplicate our success and you're not starting from there, you're pretty much screwed, but being big-hearted and kind is a big deal around our house.

second is, we respect each other's weirdnesses. partly this is having the same weirdnesses, but partly it's a conscious effort that if one of us likes something (maybe even likes it a little too much), the other one is always cool with that. and if one of us has a bad habit, the other one only ever talks about it constructively and for support. or because they've thought of a really good joke about it. but mostly for constructive support.

thirdly, we appreciate each other to the moon and back. i mean, neither one of us is perfect, but we both see the inner and outer beauty that we're so lucky to have in each other, and we make sure we tell each other about it.

fourthly, he knows i'm smarter and more sensible than he is, and he (mostly) listens to me when i'm giving him advice!

fifthly, part of how i'm smarter and more sensible than he is, is that i can always see how wonderful he is, and he doesn't always see that in himself. so i get both the plus of having all this wonder in my life, and also the other plus of holding that mirror up for him sometimes to remind him.

sixthly: we are devoted to each other.

devotion is the big one, i think.

anyway, here's to eleven blissful years with my special guy, and to many more we have waiting for us in the future!

(update! haha, if you're reading this today, ignore this update, because the title is now correct! but apparently another one of our secrets is, we're very forgiving about being forgetful -- today is not our anniversary like i posted yesterday.  somehow we both got the 26th and 27th mixed up!)

it's a good thing i'm not overly competitive ...

ariel has been blogging about two months now, and she's already got half as many posts as i do!

i'm in a pickle, just a bit, because on the one hand, i don't want to pooh-pooh her journaling by saying, "well, my posts do tend to be a lot longer and more substantial than hers." but on the other hand, i do kinda want to say that, just as an excuse.

which honestly, do i really need an excuse? no. i blog because i like to, so i blog when i like to and that's that. or, should be. boy, though, it really just puts things in perspective when someone is on-track to beat your ten-year blogging output in less than six months ...

luckily, i do have at least some consolation:

i really like reading her posts!

they're fun, and she's awfully sweet.

also ... it will be nice to congratulate and brag on her when she passes me up.

i can already see her cute little face beaming and getting all flushed.

okay, now i'm impatient for her to get there!

mission accomplished, i guess.