Anti-versary

antiversary:  a term referring to the experience that despite 364 happy days a year, the anniversary always seems to be an epic fail.


Yesterday Bill and I both made a Herculean effort to be at 5pm Mass. In June Thomas borrowed $10 from me for a stipend so he could request a Mass for us as an anniversary gift.  August 10th was taken, so he chose the vigil.  I should have made it back from the airport with plenty of time but didn't count on a Charles having a nosebleed and 2 desperate bathroom stops for James to slow us down.  Bill should have been able to skate out of work early but didn't count on drama which only grudgingly allowed him to come for part of the Mass and then go back to work.

It was a lovely Mass, Anthony served, the kids were good, the readings inspiring....and Msgr. read the wrong intention.  He didn't just read the intention for the noon Mass; he read the name of the person who had requested the noon Mass.  Sigh.  He apologized afterward, and we all know it was meant for us.  :)

Over coffee this morning Bill and I discussed some of our favorite anitversaries:

Dinner of grease with a side of cigarette smoke while listening to our song on the jukebox at the Waffle House (1st)

Delicious expensive dinner at a mafia owned restaurant.  Unfortunately, we were not actually speaking to each other (3rd)

Paying for a sitter...so we could have dinner with the commanders of Bill's battalion (4th)

Overnight without kids in downtown Honolulu ending shortly after Bill got hit by a car as we were walking to breakfast (5th)

Bill in the ER with kid with possible broken arm and me at homeschool conference planners' dinner (9th)

Add to that ranger school, deployments, and other little bumps in the road, and this year seems pretty good.

10 Blessed and Happy Years!

Our 10th anniversary seems like the perfect time to do a top 10 list...

10. (3rd) Having a Sulk--We don't fight, but we do occasionally have crabby moments. On our third anniversary we had one during our lovely dinner out.

9. (2nd) Ranger School--Husband being food and sleep deprived in another state while wife is 1st trimester sick and caring for year-old twins. Of course, no phone calls from Ranger School.

8. (6th) Afghanistan--This rates above Ranger School simply because Bill could call.

7. (10th) The Plague--Bill will be home from Airborne School tomorrow, but the rest of the family is either sick right now, getting over being sick or about to get sick.

5. (7th and 8th) The Nonniversaries--We can't remember them.

4. (9th) Total Disconnect--I was out working on a homeschool conference and then went to a dinner for the planners. Instead of meeting me there, Bill used the sitter we had lined up so he could take Anthony to the ER to get his foot x-rayed.

3. (4th) Command Team Dinner--We got to spend the evening with the battalion and company commanders of Bill's unit. Well, at least we were in Hawaii....

2. (1st anniversary!) Waffle House--Uncle Charles babysat, but in the small town where we lived the only "restaurant" open was the Waffle House. We ate smoke with a side of grease for dinner.

and..........

1. The Best Anniversary so far was our 5th. Friends graciously offered to watch our 4 kids (including a breastfeeder) while we stayed overnight in downtown Honolulu. It was really a lot of fun until Bill got hit by a car as we were walking to breakfast.

May we be blessed with another 10 wonderful years of marriage. :)

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Happy 10th to John and Theresa and to Aunt Paulette and Uncle Ed too!