An average day

Not a whole lot going on that's newsworthy around here, so I don't want to bore everyone with mundane details of our days.  I'll just say a delightful cold front just came through, so we have a fire crackling and cozy jammies on tonight.  The high tomorrow will only be 58 (hooray!), but then it will jump back into the low 70's by Monday.  Ugh.  I'm still grateful for cooler temps & no humidity, don't get me wrong, but I can't tell you how much I love cold weather.  I was born in Michigan, mind you.  It's in my bones.  The heat makes me crazy, having no seasons gets me down, but for some reason I love & won't leave Texas.  Go figure.

Here are the 3 things I'm grateful for today:

1.  Chilly weather!

2.  Hallmark.  (yes, the card store)

3.  Melatonin.

Tomorrow is my Dad's 62nd birthday, and I'm so happy.  He's had many health/heart problems over the years, you see, so this is a true milestone.  Then speaking of milestones, Saturday is my parents' 40th wedding anniversary.  Wow!  They seem to be one of only a handful of couples that have actually held up their vows throughout the years, and made their marriage a priority.  They genuinely like each other, so they've always held on to their sacred bond.  No cheating, no separations, no mistreatment - just love.  This isn't to say they didn't have their share of learning & obstacles to overcome, but they did it with laughter and they did it together.  I love that.  I've heard that the secret to a long, successful marriage is not falling out of love with each other at the same time over the years.  How true.  I think it's that, as well as these twelve "rules" of marriage that Aaron & I have had hanging up on the wall in our kitchen since we got married.  They say:

1.  Never both be angry at once.

2.  Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.

3.  Yield to the wishes of the other as an exercise in self-discipline, if you can't 

     think of a better reason.

4.  If you have a choice between making yourself and your mate look good, 

     choose your mate.

5.  If you must criticize, do so lovingly.

6.  Never bring up a mistake of the past.

7.  Neglect the whole world rather than each other.

8.  Never let the day end without saying at least one complimentary thing to 

     your life's partner.

9.  Never meet without an affectionate welcome.

10. Never go to bed mad.

11. When you've made a mistake, talk it out and ask for forgiveness.

12. Remember, it takes two to make an argument.  The one who is wrong will be doing most of the talking.

My dear friend Amy came over soon after we got married & saw these on our wall, and asked me for a copy.  I gave one to her, and she's had it up on her fridge now for years as well.  Granted, these things are easier to say than do, but it basically boils down to sacrifice.  If you picked this person as the one to spend the rest of your life with, they're worth it, aren't they?

To you, Ma & Dawd, I am so proud of you & the sacrifices you've made for each other the last 40 years.  As I've gotten older, I've come to realize that maintaining a healthy relationship & family isn't as easy as it looks, but the payoff is incredible.  Thank you for leading us by example while we were growing up - you didn't just talk the talk, you walked the walk.  Congratulations on 14,608 days (479.95 months) of wedded bliss.  I love you!

And thanks to the Lord for giving us another year with my Dad, for without him here, neither celebration would be as meaningful.  I am truly grateful.

Until next time folks ... peace & pastries to all.