Eleven years...

"Will give you such a crick in the neck!"

Remember that one (albeit with a few more years tacked on...) from 'Alladin'? Great entrance for Mr. Williams as the Genie.

"Look at me from the side....Do I look different to you?"

A lot of time has passed since then.

Eleven years ago tonight my wife and I were married.

Eleven years.

How crazy is that?

I was telling her last night that in some ways it seems like a very long time and other times it feels like it was just a week or two ago that we met.  Tonight it's eleven years, and four babies later.

We were walking downtown tonight on a 'mini date' for our anniversary; only able to escape for an hour or so.  See, our kids have the flu.  Daughters to be exact. 

Sarah got it boxing day and was up all night (from 11pm 'till 6am) puking her guts out.  Then Zoe got it and she's been randomly barfing for two days.  Niki and I feel like our whole life is wandering around cleaning up puke and waiting to see if it'll hit our boys or us.

We got sick 'cause we're nice.

My brother and his family are in town from Jerusalem for Christmas and they had the flu December 23rd and 24th.  We were going to stay away on Christmas day but felt like we just couldn't do it.  So we went and hoped for the best.  I can't bring myself to say that two out of six is getting 'hosed' exactly but it's too soon to say that JJ, Sammie, Nik and I have well and truly dodged the bullet.

We have faith though.

We ate mexican tonight.  With beer.  That's gonna' be just awesome if it comes back up.  Enough to make you invoke the sweet baby Jesus.  

So Niki's Mom (also nice) came to watch the kids for us to get out for a bit.  We bought skates for the kids (yes, I'm trying to embrace winter...) some books and stuff for her Dad and Stepmom who arrive tomorrow, then hit our favorite Mexican place.  After dropping Niki off I went to get her flowers and a card then arrived home to her holding the "I just puked" Zoe in her arms while Sammie howled at the moon from fatigue while Jordan did his best to walk through the puke spread all over the kitchen floor while Sarah ran around trying to avoid being put to bed.

They're great kids, really.

So we got them down.  Sat on our couch.  Ate Mexican.  Watched "Meet the Robinson's" (made me cry).

Now she's wrapping tomorrow's presents while I write this to memorialize our eleventh.

Eleven years.

I'm a fan of marriage.  I have one of those great marriages (if I do say so myself).  Like my parents.  One of those marriages that don't feel like a trap, don't feel boring, don't make you resentful.  

I love my wife.

We've worked hard at it.  So hard, it's changed my whole life.  

They say the two become one.  It's true.  More and more my wife and I are in sync.  Connected.  On the same page.  We understand each other and have found a way to help each other build a life.

Plus we enjoy each other's company, and still have a dynamic romantic life.

She's a gift.

I said in her card that I've learned what love is over these past eleven years and that having learned that (or begun to learn it) I've realized that I've never truly loved anyone but her.

She's glorious.

My Niki.  The hottest wife around.

All hail the Niki and the Jesus who gave her to me.

This is a thankful (though flu-ridden) man, signing off.

[And I'll write some about my 2008 very soon.  You have no idea what these deals are doing to my schedule.  Plus--in late breaking news--a new set of wheels might be materializing sometime soon.  Uploading that pic is gonna' call for some celebrating or some such thing.]

Nite, nite, sucka's.

T