Apparently I have a few updates to make in this one post. I’ll try to do this in order.
First, my 4th of July fireworks excitement. Several years ago I was banned from setting off any fireworks because we have a dog (Morgan, 12 years old) who gets absolutely petrified by the snapping and whistling and popping of fireworks. So I have been lighting sparklers the last few years, just to appease my firework addiction, and to make the rest of the family happy. It was a nice compromise for everybody. But this year, I found a fireworks tent that had their fireworks rated in regards to sound. A rating of 1 meant it was very quiet, no big noise or whistles or popping or anything, so I bought a few. WELL…
I came home, and that night (the 4th) I set off one of these fireworks. It was a cone thing that was just supposed to shoot pretty sparks in the air, but after the prettiness it started whistling, and holy crap, did Morgan start shaking, and needless to say, so did I. Fortunately the cone fell over and put itself out, so it stopped. I was in the middle of the driveway and I looked up to the deck where Alisa and Morgan were standing, and I could tell I was in trouble. I learned a very important lesson that night. Don’t believe a word the fireworks people tell you, they only want your money. After that fiasco, I went and got my sparklers and stood on the deck and swirled them. I looked so cool. I’m sure people driving by were thinking ‘wow, I wish I was her right now’.
Ok, so next on my list is our anniversary. Yesterday. 5 years. Hard to believe. Alisa says she can’t believe I’ve put up with her for this long, but I think the same thing about her putting up with me. She is right when she says we have both grown a LOT. We have learned what takes precedence, we have learned what needs to just roll off our shoulders, and we have learned what needs to be addressed. Basically we are an old married couple. I’m not complaining at all, by no means. Comfortable is one of the best feelings I have ever had. Knowing I will come home to someone, and not have to hide anything or pretend to be something I’m not, is absolute heaven.
We both sort of slipped on the anniversary gifts, but we managed to come up with something at the last minute. Alisa got me a 4 gig MP3 player, which I absolutely love. I’ve never had one so I’m an mp3 player dummy trying to learn how to download stuff to it. I did a little research online and found what the traditional and modern gifts were for the 5 year anniversary. Traditional is wood, modern is silverware. I decided to give her a regular gift (something Craftsman of course) , and also add my own personal touch of the traditional/modern gifts. Since traditional is wood, I gave her a firelog. If nothing else, it got a really good giggle out of her. For modern, I gave her a voucher that said I am officially giving the go ahead to pick out new dishes. She has been after me for a while for a new set of dishes, and since I’ve had my dishes for 15 years, I figured it’s time. She was pretty excited about that. Besides, I like things to have meanings. When we use our new future dishes, we’ll be able to say we got them for our 5th anniversary. What she doesn’t realize is we’ll have those dishes for probably another 15 years. Shhhhhhhhh, don’t tell her.
I still think our 2nd anniversary is the one that we’ll remember forever. That’s the year we officially exchanged rings in the guest room that I turned into a beach paradise. I keep bringing that up because I am damn proud of that day. Blown up picture of the ocean we took, a baby pool full of sand, and beach music playing in the background. I don’t think I have ever planned for something more than I did for that day. I guess it worked, because we’re still together, and we still talk about it. She wanted to exchange rings on the beach, and I was able to make that happen. WooHoo for me.
Life is good. Very good. My relationship with her mother is even getting better. Who knew. I think her mother is finally getting used to the fact that I’m not going anywhere, and I honestly believe she knows I make sure her daughter is well taken care of. The last few visits have been very nice, hardly any tension. I guess it’s true, it just takes time for some people to come to terms with their own feelings. Maybe 5 years is the magic number.
I have a feeling I'll have to come up with something pretty special for the 10 year anniversary. Alisa is petrified of ships, but she said we can go on a cruise for our 10th. I think I better get that agreement in writing. If anybody out there buys stock, buy stock in dramamine now, because it will only go up in the next few years.
Later :)
Every pet owner knows the day will come when they will have to say goodbye to their beloved family member. Unfortunately Tracey and I had to experience this very recently with our geriatric dog Morgan. Morgan would have been 12 in September and I have had her since she was a wee little pup of 8 weeks. When I first saw her I had to laugh because I swore she would never grow into her ears. She was a Labrador retriever with the sweetest disposition you could imagine. She loved belly rubs, being my shadow, and peanut butter. 
