True Companion

It was a misty cold night in November of 1998, and we were at Clackamet Park. We sat on the swings and Matt officially asked if I would be his girlfriend. Sounds a bit corny, maybe, but he was my first boyfriend, and he wanted to make the moment special for me. After we were completely chilled to the bone, we went and sat in the cab of his big green 1973 Ford pickup truck, and that is when I first heard Mark Cohn's song "True Companion". It has ever after been our special song.

Just 10 months later on September 4, 1999, we exchanged vows to love, honor, and cherish each other until death do us part.

I have not regretted those words for one iota of a second in the nine years since. I am married to my True Companion- God designed us to be a pair, and despite time, the effects of job stress, sleep deprivation and babies, we are still in love with each other and looking forward to the years ahead.

At this stage of life it isn't easy for us to get away from the house, so we didn't go to a fancy restaurant or resort to celebrate our anniversary. Instead, we stayed home with our sweet babies and had a simple dinner, with a special "Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie" for dessert (the recipe I of course altered- I simply cannot leave well enough alone! If you want my adapted version, let me know).

As I was putting the finished pie into the refrigerator, I was also holding a fussy Baby Girl in one arm, and had the phone wedged between cheek and shoulder because Danny had called to wish us a happy anniversary. Obviously not completely in control of the situation, and once again trying to do too many things at once, it was at that moment that Little Missy decided she wanted some pie too... Can you see the mark she left behind?

And so it goes... But ever and always these days will end, as our 9th anniversary did, side by side, two hearts beating together in perfect harmony.

The intent of this post is to honor my sweetheart with a little tribute, but I also want to share a special treasure with you... My friend Connie (thank you once again!) not only spent many hours on the day of our wedding gathering and putting all of the flowers together, she also, several years later, dug up and brought out to us the very bush that my wedding bouquet came off of. Not many people in this world can step out their back door on their anniversary and breathe in the scent of their wedding bouquet!