from someone else's wedding, 2010
Happy 8th Anniversary to my groom, Daddy Dustin! My, how things have changed! 8 years ago today we were looking forward to a romantic trip for 2 to Europe. Now we’re hoping for a trip for 2 to the bedroom at some point this week, between night shifts and your interview travels. 8 years ago I was donning my white gown and pretty jewelry. Now if I dare to wear white, it usually comes with lots of other colors, too – red finger paint, brown Nutella mouth marks, green grass stains, and MJ usually does my mis-matched jewelry selection. 8 years ago, our biggest stresses were about money and grad school. Well, we’re still in the hole, and though we’ve got the degrees, we’re trying hard not to “fail” in our much more rigorous Masters of Parenting program. The School of Life gave us 2 pretty challenging, wonderful cases! 8 years ago we had only hopes and dreams for a marriage blessed by precious children, and now they exist in flesh and blood and snot! We could have never
imagined just how beautiful and perfectly imperfect they would be: they reflect us, they resemble us, they depend on us, they drive us crazy, they carry our good and bad genes, they love us unconditionally, they teach us, they make us laugh and cry together, they have shown me more of what a wonderful man you are. After 8 years, I am still glad you are my husband, and we are “married with children” together!
If you’re a busy mommy, you know there is a new standard for what is “romantic” in your life on a day-to-day basis, what makes you feel the love… Here is a list of romantic things my hubby has done for me lately:
- He let me sneak away this morning for coffee and quiet time to our neighborhood coffee shop before everyone got up. Being romantic for a mommy means giving her a break!
- He bought me tires and an oil change for our anniversary! (Didn’t you know that the traditional gift theme for year 8 is “rubber and oil”? I guess that could be interpreted in a slightly sexier way, but I’m still turned on.) Being romantic for a mommy is taking care of chores, and checking things off the list!
- He sent me to take a nap, and said he’d get the kids down for theirs when it was clear we all needed one. (They actually ended up taking a sweet “Daddy nap”.) Being romantic for a mommy is about giving her what she NEEDS, and for me, that’s often sleep.
- He told me I’m worth it. When I finally got my awful complexion checked out with a dermatologist recently, doc told me I had the worst case of perioral dermatitis he’s seen, and prescribed me some expensive medicine. I told Dustin I wasn’t sure if we should spend the money. He didn’t hesitate, reminding me of all the medicine he takes daily for his old-man conditions like gout and kidney stones. Being romantic is about making a mommy feel good about herself.
- He made me a delicious margarita, and then made me laugh really hard! Being romantic for a mommy is helping her to relax and unwind at the end of the day.
What a sweet posting! Dustin is a great guy! I’m so blessed that mine is too! Yesterday he washed a huge stack of dishes, cooked dinner and then cleaned up again (with your hubby’s help). He also let me take a nap while he went to the grocery & told the kids to leave mommy alone.
You’ve got a solid base for the rest of your marriage, absolutely! And your children will love you both for loving each other, as well! My husband and I are in our 38th year [I work with your Mom] and he’s my best friend, confidant, and someone I can absolutely depend upon to ‘have my back’…he has worked so hard throughout our marriage to make sure that we [myself, our son, our daughter] had everything that we needed and now we’re ‘empty nesters’…and he still cares for me in so many ways. He recently retired after 23 years of part-time work & 32 years at his full-time job, as well…he gets my coffee every morning while I get ready for work, makes sure my car is gassed up, takes care of EVERYTHING…we certainly have learned to sincerely and absolutely appreciate what we each do for the other over the years! The kind of love may change from passionate to a more rich, deep and settled type of love, but it is one that feeds the soul and bonds the two of you even closer together as you go along life’s road.