31 st anniversary “best decision i ever made”

So today is my 31 th anniversary, and I remember my wedding like yesterday. I almost remember the vows that my wife insisted we memorize as opposedt to just repeating the preacher. She messed up – I didn’t. Honeymooned in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla in an aunts house in December. 15 hour or so drive to get there, we did not quite think that one through. A friend of mine put skunk oil in the air vents and a snake in my suitcase during the wedding. His name was weasel and was known for that type of thing in high school. We discovered the snake  the next day getting money from an ATM and I reached into the suitcase to get my wallet. Something crawed over my hand. We left the snake at the bank after emptying all the suitcase’s contents in the parking lot. I bet on a dog race and said 5 dollar ticket, the lady heard 20 dollar ticket and then a bell rang and the window closed and I lost all the money I had for the affair on the first race. We went back to the house that was in a small neighbor hood the city.

I have needed the 31 years of perspective to fairly judge the fact that I chose my wife to marry. I really don’t think I had that perspective  really until about 25 years. The reason is I feel is that there is too much stuff going on and that the “picture” hasn’t been completley painted.  We are still actively involved with our children even though they are out of the house, my wife is invaluable in that respect. There are things I just can’t do because of work and because I am a male. Never once, and I do mean never has my wife disappointed me as a mother. I loved my mother, I love mothers in general.

So I am leaving this am and I tell my wife that I had thought through something and that after the perspective of 31 years I can say without a doubt that, ” You are the best decison I have ever made.”

She said thank you.

I then pretended  I were she and then said in my high voice, ” Well John, considering the number of bad decisions you’ve made since we’ve been married , that ain’t saying much.”

She said, ” I  did’nt say that.”

So , the picture above is a sketch Karen did of our dog Chloe. I have written a little book about her that I plan to share with the readers of this blog when I get it back next week. She’s a great water colorist, but won’t do it. She did this quickly on morning when I asked if she could do something to put on the back of the book.