A year ago, I married the man I love.
      I know it is terribly cliché to say that I married my best friend, but I did, and I know it is even more cliché to say that I love him more each day, but I do.
      These past 365 days have not all been wonderful. There have been financial crunches, family dramas, disagreements, disappointments, health woes, and more.
      But there have also been so many great ones. So many days where we held hands for no reason, laughed until we nearly peed ourselves, looked at Venna doing something sweet and then at each other and just knew, kissed no matter how bad the morning breath was, cuddled, tickled, touched, laughed – did I say that already?, gamed, loved… just loved.
      When I was growing up, I read romances and I listened to love songs, I watched movies and TV and I understood what “love” was supposed to be. True love.
      I didn’t believe in it. Not really. Oh, I wrote about it myself, but it was always this… floaty ideal like a castle in the sky, not…possible. Not based in the real world.
      Then I met Mark. And it turned out that the songs are true. That you could look into the eyes of another person and see how much they love you, how they accept your craziness, how they know who you are – deep down – and still want to be with you, know you, adore you.
      I had felt love: familial love, friendly love, platonic-soulmate love. But I had never believed in ‘true love’. How could I? The stories and songs and shows focused on the lead-up, but not the real life. I knew real life – I lived there. It was filled with screaming matches and divorces and unhappiness and being stuck and abuse and just existing in a state of ‘matrimony’.
      I never wanted to get married. It seemed stupid, binding yourself legally to another person for life. Who could put up with someone else all that time? I mean, really. Really?
      And then I spent a few years living with Mark. Okay – it wasn’t all sunshine and roses, how could it be? It was real life. But you know what? It was awesome. Sure, I drive him to distraction with my ecclectic (read: weird, or bad) taste in music. And when he forgets to take out the trash, I want to scream. But in-between those brief moments of UGH! there are so many moments of GOD, I love this man.
      Like when he sings off-key while making breakfast. Like when he uses SuperSmartBoy’s voice. Like when he just looks at me and I’m getting all paranoid about what must be stuck to my face and then he just says, I love you. Or when, after days or weeks of calling me Nubby… he says Josie and I tingle. Like when he pulls Venna into his lap and hugs her. Like when he stays up with me if I feel like I’m dying, just to make sure I don’t. Like when he rolls over in bed and nuzzles my neck and then tells me he sees something moving under the covers and oh God, its my toes and now I’m in trouble because he’s already swooshing down to tickle them and I’m laughing so hard I think I might suffocate on the giggles.
      Looking back on 365 days – or on nine years – I hardly even register the bad days as a blip on the radar. I know they were there, but they’re gone, and what remains?
      The laughter.
      The love.
      (The incessant talk about gaming and characters, haha).
      Do we have a perfect marriage?
      Of course not.
      But do we have a great one? One I’m honored to be part of and pray lasts a lifetime?
      Yes.
      A thousand times, yes.
      I’ve been married one year today.
      One year, wedded, to the man I love.
      …and I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store for us!

Note: Image is “Wedding Goblets & Cake Topper” by (Me!)