in sickness & in health

Hers & His

At the beginning of the year, Larry and I discussed planning a summer trip to Iceland to celebrate our upcoming ten year anniversary. As we chatted in January about what 2013 would hold for us, I never in a million years would've guessed that I'd be planning a secret wedding the following month or that just two months into the new year, our status would change from "dating forever" to "husband and wife." Nor would I have guessed that two months after our elopement and dream trip, we'd return for a second still-unblogged trip to Hawaii. Oh life, you are full of surprises.

When Larry and I got married this March, we described ourselves as super-married since the term newlyweds didn't really seem to fit us. At ages 34 and 41, and after nearly a decade together, we felt we had a whole lot more life experience than twenty-something just-marrieds. (Some acquaintances even exclaimed "I thought you were already married!" when we shared the news upon our return.) We had already experienced for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, and in sickness and in health during our almost ten year relationship. We had done a lot of "married things" throughout the course of our courtship - moved in together, bought a house together, set up joint bank accounts, and cared for dependent creatures together. (Yes, they are dogs, not babies, but they still require care and responsibility.)

Yesterday, we celebrated our three month wedding anniversary. Today, June 5th, 2013, we celebrate ten years since we started dating. Our first date in 2003, was pizza and beers (embarrassingly, I ordered a Miller Lite - at least my taste in beer has matured since then!) at Matchbox in Chinatown - a hip new restaurant that was so popular it was difficult to get a table. Upon our return from Hawaii, The Sequel just a few days ago, I proposed we celebrate our tenth anniversary with a repeat of our first date at Matchbox. Turns out, it's still just as difficult to get a table as it was ten years ago. I did get a reservation, though for a dinner time more appropriate for residents of a nursing home.

This morning I woke up with a headache. One of the bad ones. Larry stayed home from work to be with me. It was a rough day. By evening the pain had lifted, and I was able to make it downstairs to the couch. We had cancelled our dinner reservations, but Larry ran out to our favorite local custard shop for pizza and zebra cups. I had thought a photo of us on our tenth anniversary would be a nice memento, but considering my current pajama-clad, unshowered, sick-day appearance, I'll have to settle for a picture of Hers & His frozen custard to remember this day.

Anyway, the ice cream was a nice treat and with the pain dissipated, I was filled with sweet relief...and also dread, knowing that this headache is the start of what will most likely be a miserable and painful month. But I also know that I am lucky to have Larry by my side, in sickness and in health. Oh life, you really are full of surprises.

P.S. I was looking forward to returning to regular blogging/e-mailing this month (a lot has happened since our Hawaii trip!), but if things are quiet around here in June, it's because of the cluster headaches. I'm hoping for lots of pain-free days to blog and get things done and I will definitely return once I go back into remission.