Dear Jason,
Happy eleventh anniversary, myboy. You’re still the one I want to reach for in the middle of the night, and with all the people who want me during those hours, that’s really saying something. Thank you for eleven years of thoughtfulness, forgiveness, willingness and tenderness. I’m bossy and moody and cry way more than you deserve, but I’m also madly in love with you. Neither wild horses nor screaming newborns could make me want you less, I can’t wait for these kids to beat it so I can have you all to myself.
Here’s this week’s column, posted yesterday.
Love you too, bud.
annie
“Tomorrow is my eleventh wedding anniversary.
Eleven years into this, not a day goes by that I don’t thank the Lord for gifting me with such a good man (okay, maybe a day or two here and there). My mother always says that a girl doesn’t know what she’s really gotten herself into until she’s got a good three years of marriage under her belt. With a decade of marriage and four children to boot, I am the luckiest girl I know.
Call us old-fashioned, but on our wedding day my sweetheart and I didn’t know each other, biblically speaking. Trust me, it made for a very eventful and momentous occasion. We were married in the afternoon, had a large dinner party with our closest family and friends, then climbed into the car for a two and a half hour drive to our hotel.
And that’s when my wonderful new husband turned on The Game.
Here’s the thing. We had never spent a football season together. In fact, we’d met over the summer, I left to study overseas for a number of months in the fall, came home in the winter, and started seriously dating him at the tail end of basketball season. We were engaged over the summer and married in October. I had no idea that I was marrying a Fan. (Girls, this is why you need to know a guy through all four seasons before getting yourself committed.)
It will come as no surprise to you that we spent the entire drive from Portland to Olympia listening to his team. He would ever so politely turn down the volume during the commercials, attempt small talk, then quickly smile and shush me once the ball was in action.
This was, without a doubt, the most miserable two hours of my life. What had I gone and done? Who was this oaf? Where was the sensitive man that was supposed to qualm my wedding night jitters, or at least try to make vehicular advances to me during the pre-game car trip? Unfortunately, I was too nervous and nice to tell him to turn off the game and pay attention to where the real action was–in the passenger seat.
So last week Mr. Fan casually walks into the kitchen.
“Hey,” he said, “You’re never going to believe what’s happening on our anniversary!”
“What?” I asked, sure he’s going to tell me about some romantic dinner theater or equally appropriate celebratory event.
“We’re playing Utah State!”
“And?”
“Don’t you remember, the night we got married? It was a Friday night, and we listened to the Utah State game in the car on the way to Olympia. It’s the same night, same place, same game! Isn’t that awesome?”
“Uh, yeah. Awesome.” About as awesome as getting sprayed by a skunk. He slowly exited the kitchen, shoulders drooping. After eleven years of marriage, he’s learned that football is not this girl’s idea of a good time.
“Wait!” I said, knowing full well that any wife worth her salt wouldn’t let him down here. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and asked the one thing I thought I’d never ask him: “Wanna go to the game with me?”
“No, you don’t want to go to a football game for your anniversary…”
“Of course I do! This is our game, there’s no way we can miss it.”
“Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Baby, I’d do anything for you.” Once I said it, I realized that it was true. Making that man happy is the most important job I’ve got, hands down.
And so we’ll be spending tomorrow night sitting in the stands, cheering for our team. Hey, it will sure beat driving around in the car for two hours.
I’ve been too busy to comment lately, but this was such a great post on every level, I couldn’t resist. Really fun! This is like vintage, classic, quintiessential Regarding Annie–funny, real, but also very sweet.
So good to hear from you, we’ve missed your chromosome around here. Way too girly without you to balance things out.
You deserve a trophy.
Oh thats wonderful. Happy Anniversary. I’m overly emotional the last few days but reading that gave me watery eyes! You are a keeper 😉 as is he.
Oh, I love that story! It is the perfect post, totally cracking me up still! Love you, Love Jason, you guys are the best. Happy Anniversary 🙂
Aaaaaw. ANNIE!!!! I am so proud of you. Just the response we all hope our hubby will give us when we recognize a song or some other sentiment to an important occasion. Have a great time at that game. All my love to the both of you. Happy Anniversary!
i can’t stop giggling! you’re a good woman, charlie brown annie dear!
have fun. i like football myself, probably no where near as much as your husband does or any other red-blooded man on the planet, but it’s not bad. so we’ll be at our local HS’s football game to celebrate your anniversary as well. 😉 have a good time. and you’re right…..waaaaaaaay better than two hours driving & following play by play on the radio. bah!
btw, that charlie brown was SUPPOSED to be stricken out! ugh. happy anniversary!
YAY!!! Happy anniversary, girlie!! What a fun marriage you have. Seriously, you can just tell that the two of you really, truly just ENJOY each other! You’ll have so much fun tonight! Just the three of you going? I wonder if DeNae’s son will be there. He goes to USU.
And I don’t want to be a buzz-kill here, but won’t it still take you about 2 hours to get there?? I bet THIS time, he does try to at least squeeze your b….I mean hold your hand.
Love you!!
Getting married conference weekend (Friday before) was hands down one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. We’re celebrating 14 on Monday, though celebrating tonight since Mondays aren’t the most romantic day. To celebrate, I’m going to see a musical where I will get to watch him kiss another woman – except that I will be averting my eyes, of course – but it’s worth it because I will also get to hear him sing.
Happy Anniversary!
Okay… that was funny and sweet and perfectly written. Of course.
Happy Anniversary! Hope it’s the best time ever!
So, now that the game is over, and by that I mean Utah State sent their chess team in during the 4th quarter just to complete the humiliation, how was the drive home?
And my son, ironically, was not at the game, because he was at a mission reunion. In Provo.
I was crying inside for you when you write about the drive to your honeymoon destination. My goodness. How amazing for you to come full circle and realize what marriage is really all about. He didn’t quite get how you felt then. . . or now, and you are willing to forgive and compromise and even reward him in a way he will appreciate for all the GOOD things he does (and despite the stupid things. 🙂 You’re awesome.
You are a vision of awesomeness to let your hubby go (with you of course) to the football game. I bet he was ready to kiss your feet.
……….we won’t TALK about that game however, grrrrr…………………
Me and my hubby celebrate our FIRST anniversary tomorrow. I hope for 11………..and then some.
We aare getting pretty dang old, so better cherish each one eh.
Oh! That made me cry. Possibly I’m unbalanced, but still, that was sweet.
I’m sorry if my Aggies ruined your anniversary date… Well, I’m not really sorry about the game itself (quite the opposite, in fact), so let me rephrase that comment: I hope you didn’t *allow* the drubbing on the field to spoil the rest of your evening!
Also, I might be the only one who is wondering this, but how were you able to get the USU/BYU game on the radio while driving from Portland to Olympia?
P.S. Happy Anniversary!
My husband says: “1160 is 50,000 watts. It’s been that way for 50 years, you can get it at night as far as Hawaii.”
Ah, yes. How is it that I forgot about the AM signals’ increased reflectivity off the ionosphere due to the lack of ionized particles by the Sun at night? Silly me.