Dear Nathan,

Asking you if it has felt like 7 years would be like asking President Bush if he wishes he’d never invaded Iraq. I already know the answer.

My love and appreciation for you and our relationship has grown over time. One my favorite qualities is that we see eye-to-eye on how to celebrate the mushy stuff.

For example, we aren’t the type of couple that recognize occasions like our first date, our first kiss, etc… which requires buying cards, flowers and expensive jewelry. Instead we like to recall the events that were more meaningful in shaping our marriage.

Remember that time I stole a table from the house you rented at Purdue and you ended up going to court? That was good times! Or how about the time you kept telling me that the statements we were getting in the mail were fake and that you didn’t really invest the money we were saving to buy a house in online stocks? Good thing I don’t still hold that over your head.

And then there was that time I put the naked guy pictures on the back of your truck with magnets and a sign that said, “Honk 4 Love!” You couldn’t figure out why those people were honking at you all the way to work. It wasn’t until noon when a co-worker pointed it out. We still celebrate those 3 days it took you to talk to me after that.

I could go on and on because we’ve created a lot of memories in the past 7 years. Thankfully we’re the type of couple who chooses to remember everyday and not just the days that society tells us are important.

Apparently the 7th anniversary gift is wool & cooper. Thank God we aren’t those type of people either. That is why I love us.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! All my love, Emily

If you’ve seen the movie A Christmas Story, you’ll get an eerie feeling as you read this. If you haven’t seen it - what is wrong with you????

Yesterday a card was in our mailbox stating my husband had a certified letter waiting for him at the post office. Wonder who from? The only identifiable information on the card said - “Polar Pop.” I didn’t think much of it until he got home and I told him about it.

Apparently he has been entering some online contest daily for Polar Pop. And in case you are wondering what that is - one of the chain gas stations (Circle K) around here offers fountain drinks called “Polar Pops” for like 59 cents. I’ve known he has an obsession for them. He stops on his way to work to get the guzzler of Diet Coke that keeps him functioning throughout the day. But it could be worse. At least it’s cheaper than a daily drink from somewhere like Starbucks!

He starts daydreaming last night wondering if he’s won something.

“Why else would they send me a certified letter?”

“Um….maybe to tell you to stop entering every hour?”

Since the post office was closed by the time we got home it left our imaginations running wild all night. He said the grand prize is a Corvette, but that drawing isn’t until September. So he got online and figured it out they give out monthly prizes as well. He is now convinced he is the winner of a $100 Polar Pop gift card. We’ll see…

I got a kick out of teasing him all night.

“Maybe it’s a bowling alley?”

“Or maybe it’s an ugly lamp?“

He’s taking his lunch hour to drive across town and find out…..I’ll let you know if we’ve won something red and shiny.

Props and Pans is giving away a copy of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Friendship Edition on DVD. Go check it out and leave a comment to enter. What a cool gift that would make!!

What could have been a lovely quiet evening with possibly a little “somethin’ somethin’” turned into a disaster last night. Capitol D on that one.

I’m not sure if I should attribute my husband’s mood to the fact he quit smoking cold-turkey a few weeks ago (thank GOD!) or the fact our large flat screen T.V. has been in the repair shop for several days and we’re forced to watch my Grandma’s old Orion 19 inch.

This is evening #2 of watching previously recorded sci-fi crap. Typically, I retreat to the bedroom (another 19 inch TV) and pull out my magnifying glasses to watch my shows. But tonight after his second unrealistic magic-potion-saves-the-world show I had the audacity to ask him if we could watch something that we both like.

I’m sorry did the world just come to an end? The response I received was something similar to our son throwing a hissy fit over being asked to clean up his toys or eat all his peas.

His reply was something about me being on the computer and not even watching it. To which I stated that I wouldn’t be on if there was something more interesting to watch.

Next he proceeds to place the remote on an ottoman in between us. Silence follows. I tell him to go ahead and watch whatever he wants. I might have used the word ‘jack***’ in there.

After some more grumbling (from him), he sets it up to play a show we both like and leaves the room. I yell at him asking if he’s going to watch this or not. He said he’s letting me watch what I want and he’ll be in the bedroom.

I turn off the T.V. altogether and tell him when he’s done pouting the remote is on the couch.

Now, we’ve been down this road before…I’m not really sure why he thinks he owns or controls our T.V. He usually gets his way in what we watch. Rarely would he sit in here while I watch something I’ve taped that he doesn’t like. So why am I expected to sit through his shows night after night?

So he pouted in the bedroom wanting to go to bed. Funny thing is that he couldn’t, because the sheets were downstairs in the dryer and he doesn’t seem to know where the laundry is located in our house (even after 7 years).

I knew exactly what I was looking for in a husband long before I met him. If there is one thing my father taught me, it’s exactly what I didn’t want my husband to be like. I admit that many of my expectations were a bit high and unrealistic, but sometimes you have to aim high.

After watching N interact with his young nieces it was evident he loved children. We used to daydream about the fun things we’d do with our own children one day, how we would raise them and what we would teach them. I took 5 pregnancy tests to ensure I was really pregnant before I told him. The look on his face was priceless and in that moment I saw all the dreams we’d talked about run through his mind again.

Fathers can put on a good act and do the mundane things required, but real men do the things that aren’t expected. I know how lucky I am to have a man who truly acts in our child’s best interest and puts both of us first in his life. He makes us feel secure and loved.

Our lives seemed perfect, but after my car accident I wondered what might happen to our family. You hear of things like this tearing a marriage apart. The stress, the financial issues, etc… As I was laying in ICU one of my first conscious thoughts was what if he leaves me?

I never expected him to and I knew in my heart he wouldn’t, but the thought crossed my mind. Today, I feel extremely guilty for ever even thinking such a thing. What a discredit to him and our marriage.

I was scared. Scared I would die. Scared I would never see my son again. Scared I would be injured beyond repair. Disfigured. Disabled. Not the same.

And I’m not the same. Neither is he. Events like this change you either for the better or the worse. In our case, it’s been a mixture, but overall we know what we have and plan to keep it for as long as we’re allowed.

Our lives aren’t the same and I know they never will be. We’ve learned to accept it and move on. Although the future is uncertain, the only plan we have is to be together. That is our promise to each other and our son. Anyone can make that commitment, but it takes a real man to honor it.

What always cracks me up about our “date nights” is that it seems like we have nothing to talk about. You would think a quiet meal that doesn’t include french fries or the words “stop blowing bubbles in your milk” - would allow all sorts of conversation.

Apparently we do not know how to function as a couple anymore. So we sit and stare at each other, then stare at our watches. One of us usually makes the suggestion around dessert time to skip the movie and go home to bed. And by bed, I mean put on our sweatpants and stinky t-shirts and actually sleep.

In honor of The Parent Bloggers offering us a potential date, I will fill in the sentence above. When your bank account has a negative sign in front of it and someone else offers to pay, you’d have to be pretty slow to turn the opportunity down.

You all know what E-Harmony does right? Online match-making. You’ve seen their commercials with Dr. Phil. Now they have a new service of online marriage counseling.

Step #2 is the “marriage action plan” which I hope involves more than instructions. My husband needs a damn map, not a plan!

This kind of virtual counseling will be perfect for those couples whose husband travels on business frequently. Now in between bedding his co-worker, he can participate in online counseling with his wife. Keep them both happy! (So wives beware if you are complaining to your husband and he suggests this program.)

YOU KNOW YOU NEED A DATE WITH YOUR HUSBAND WHEN…..

…the only action your bed gets is from your 4 year old jumping on it.

…you quit taking birth control pills because you couldn’t see paying $40 a month & taking a pill a day FOR NO REASON!

…you threaten to suffocate your husband in his sleep for snoring & you mean it.

…your husband threatens a divorce if you quit taking your Zoloft again.

…your retirement plans include separate bedrooms.

…the terms of endearment you use are in the form of sign language.

…you made fun of “National Bingo Night” being on T.V., but you ended up watching it last Friday night.

It’s also that time again for the May ROFL awards that Metro Mama and Mrs. Chicky graciously host. This go around I had to nominate Oh, The Joys for this post where she makes fun of herself and includes some pretty funny pictures!