Ten Years Later....

It's been ten years since Lisa and I got married. Ten years since we shuddered in fear at the thought of bringing a little boy into this world. Ten years since we took those first few brave steps, side-by-side, into a world of worries & reliefs, failures & triumphs.

TEN DAMN YEARS.

And since that fateful day on 4-28-1999 in Raleigh NC, my life has been a constant game of catch-up, frustration, worry and ordeal. Every week brings a new challenge to our lives. Bills to pay. Papers to write. Exams to take. Amy always needs a nap and Vince is always one step behind. One great big game of catch-up.

And through it all, there's always been Lisa.
In this experiment that is our marriage, Lis' and I have ran the gambit of emotions.
We've loved, we've laughed, we've cried and we've fought....a lot.

I suppose it's nothing any other couple doesn't go through.
Sometimes problems will pop up and we'll form up like Voltron to knock 'em out.
And sometimes both of us will smell Amy's dirty diaper and we'll stare each other down like the O.K. Corral.

Our relationship is a constant negotiation; a constant play of give and take.

But you know what?
I think that's how great relationships should be.
Life is always a chain of problems broken up by fleeting moments of joy and bliss.
There is no comfortable plateau and great couples are always mediating, negotiating and most importantly, communicating.

To get a lot, you've got to give a lot. That's the only way.

The great part is, eventually life's obstacles and the encompassing negotiations and compromises become an old comfortable routine. That's when you know that you've made it.

Readers, I've been damn frustrated with Lisa plenty of times.
But in retrospect, I'd be miserable and lonely without her. I'd miss her laughter, her cuddling, her beautiful blue eyes. But most of all, I'd miss her wisdom.

It is because of Lisa that I went to college. Now I'm lined up to receive an advanced degree.
It is because of Lisa that we moved to Utah. Now my son's development has improved exponentially.
It is because of Lisa that we had Amelia. Now my life is richer than it ever was before.
It is because of Lisa that we're a stronger family.

That's why we've made it for ten years.
That, and the fact that Lisa is still willing to play make-believe with me.

To my darling wife, you are and always will be my Muse.

Happy 10th Anniversary, baby!