This love was a loong time coming.

Two days after Christmas 6 years ago I woke up in a hotel in downtown San Pedro and put on a princess wedding dress. I put on Theo's favorite purfume, Hypnotic Poison, and some dark green metallic eye shadow, and took a limo to a glass church tucked on the cliffs of Palos Verdes, CA. There, I vowed to forever love this man, and so far, it's come pretty easily to me.

I believe in forever, thanks to the intense love that is our marriage.

December 27th was our 6th wedding anniversary. Here we are in all our glory first thing in am.
I knew the day I met Theo that he'd always be with me. We had an instant connection, almost immediately a partnership. He showered me with flowers and cards, and even e-mail letters, and gave me a diamond ring after a month we were together. He told me it could whatever I wanted to be, and I honestly would have agreed to marriage then. I did agree to it only 8 months later. It wasn't the gifts that sold me, though. It was the words and companionship. He shared himself with me, taking me to meet his blessed grandpa, his family, his home, his schools, his favorite places, favorite roads, parks. He drove me to weight watcher's, our tanning parlor, to do grocery shopping. I think he may have bought my groceries on our first date? Did you, babe?
He's so HOT, too. Look at those arms...

From day one we hated being apart to do simple things like work and school, and we still do. Especially those pesky one year long deployments. He called me every single day he could on his deployment. I wrote him hours and hours worth of letters.

Theo was the first and only man to love me (in that way). I never knew love could feel so good. I thought men were for heartache, servitude, pain, longing, wondering, and diappointment until I met Theo. I thought all men were liars. I thought all men were confused, afraid, judgemental. I truly thought there was something wrong with me, b/c each time I met someone I found interesting, or I had fun with, they thought I was nice and all, a great friend, but never a lover. I started at one point to think I must not be the least bit desirable. I had all but given up and stopped looking for love altogether. In fact, I think that may have been the topic of conversation Leslie and I were having the night Theo was our host and waiter at Chili's. In those first few hours talking to Theo I put in the same category as other men, but Leslie made me leave him my number anyway, and the minute he called hours later I knew he was different. Eager, intuitive, confident, loving, enduring, enthusiastic, unafraid, and commited immediately. We conjoined our ideas of solid relationship, founded on truth, communication, and intesity, and never looked back.

We've never broken up. We've never left each other. We've never strayed. We've never let one another lose site of our own green, green grass.

I think we might even be one of those couples that could work together and still be pretty blissful. We dream of running a hunting lodge, and fishing, and me gardening, him eating the food I grow. We like the same stuff. I love listening to him talk, and hearing about his day. I miss him when he goes to work. I love when he comes home and the kids' faces light up, and he teases me about my cooking, or not cooking. Even when tensions are high because work is killing him, or the kids have spread me thin, we find a way to reconnect. To hold on tight.

He's always taken care of me. He worked 2 jobs and was a Army Reservist when we met; he moved in 3 days after we met and immediately began paying half of the bills. When we moved to California he paid most all of the bills, and worked 2 full time jobs and still served in the Reserves. He took care of our apartments, our cars, our bills. When we moved here he worked 2 full time jobs for nearly 2 years, 15 hour days 5 days a week, and weekend 8 hours days or more, so we could just make do. He's relentlessly given himself 100% for me from the moment I met him. It's no wonder he's often exhausted, and sleeps so deeply. I love lying awake beside him as I often struggle to rest. Nestling up against his stubbly face, and keeping warm with him. He's the world's best cuddler, I'm certain.

I can rest when Theo's home. He makes the kids breakfast, washes dishes, gets himself and kid ready for the day, often on work days. He cleans without being asked to. He cooks dinner as often or more than I do. He does laundry. He does everything, and when I think he'd done, he does more. I know, trust me, I know how lucky I am. Very, very lucky. And darn happy.

I'm so glad I'd rather spend my life with this man than anyone else in this grand world, and that I get to.



We spent our actual anniversary day at home. Theo ordered the UFC fight, we watched, drank, and munched on snack foods. A few days later he took me to a Bed and Breakfast near Madison.

Of course, in a day or two, I'll post the pics we took on our journey.