Happy Co-Dependence Day

It's the 4th of July and coincidentally, our wedding anniversary. Of course we married in Canada, 8 years ago, without really thinking twice about it. Since moving to the U.S. we have come to realize that our anniversary is going to be a complete bust as long as we continue to live there - we have very little hope of ever getting (a) a restaurant reservation, or (b) a babysitter. But there you go, I think it's the price I have to pay for being lucky enough to have an entire nation remind my husband that he needs to buy roses that day (or rather, he better have bought them the day before because all the shops will be closed on the 4th). And while we live in the U.S.A. Ozayr will always have the day off work. So it has its perks also.

I don't know what commemorates an 8th wedding anniversary. Not gold, not diamonds, maybe pewter? or tin? If I could pick something for us I think I would say software (for Ozayr) and paper for me every year. Okay... I've googled it now - it's BRONZE. Yikes, not good. I can't think of a single thing that is good in bronze. Bronze is what I always used to get in my Canada Fitness tests as a kid. Not-so-great memories of panting around the track field on the deadly "endurance run" (I have no endurance as it turns out). So far on the anniversary list we've passed paper, cotton, leather, linen, wood, iron, and wool. Well, frankly I'm glad that men don't know about these things, otherwise Ozayr would have a sad list of gifts to his credit. He does much better left to his own devices.

Happy anniversary my love... here are 8 miscellaneous things I love about being married to you:

1. You like big breakfast in the morning. Me too. But I can't stand the smell of eggs and I've never made you eggs in the last 8 years but you're okay with that and you make your own.

2. You like talk radio in the car. Me too. And we like the same radio personalities and we think the same ones are crazy.

3. You teach me things about architecture, like "spatial" or "addressing the corner." (though I think that is all I know after 8 whole years... shall we move on?)

4. You put up with happy morning-person me, even though I know it almost killed you the first year. Wanna know something weird though? I think you are a morning-person now too...

5. You maybe don't consider this among the forefront of your qualities, but you are pretty freakin' funny. I laugh every day and so do our kids. And the fact that you still use insults from the 1980's cracks me up to no end. You are the only person I've heard call someone else "gomer" in the last 15 years.

6. You have fashion sense. I haven't taken a girlfriend shopping in years, I don't need to.

7. You are equal parts sophisticated academic and immature 13 year-old boy (case and point, your bookmarks include this AND this.)

8. You don't take yourself (or me) too seriously. And while the fact that you may smile (or even laugh) in the face of my seething anger, or frustration over something, may not seem like it's going over all that well... it probably also saves our marriage, and my sanity.

And thank you for that. Lob joo.