Marriage and Advice: Trust me, they aren't friends!

So, the hubs and I rounded the corner of our thirteenth anniversary this week.  As I look back over the years, I don't just realize that I still love the guy, I KNOW I love him.  It's not something I really have to think about.  But this weekend, while we were on our first romantic getaway in... oh geez, thirteen years, we were stopped by a pair of girls doing a Bridal Shower Scavenger Hunt.  They asked us to write down a snippet of advice for the Bride to Be.

Hmm....  Marital advice.

What should I say?  Never go to bed mad?  Who does that anyway?!?  Resolve your fights right away?  Nah.  Cherish your partner?  Lame.

All the usual advice seemed too trite, so I wrote down the glue that keeps me and the Mr. together.

Have a good sense of humor.

To back up that advice, let me just say that if I didn't have a sense of humor, life at my house would be a sad one indeed.  In fact, there are a few things in our years together that make me out right snicker just recalling them.

For example... My hubs is a nice guy.  He likes to buy me things.  On our first Christmas together he wanted to buy me jewelry (a tradition he admired in his grandpa who, over 50+ years of marriage to his grandma, has amassed a whopper of a sparkly collection).  His choice wasn't exactly... pretty.  Stupid me, I mentioned that the earrings he got me were too expensive on our tight poor college budget and we should take them back.  Translation: Hun, them things are butt ugly.

Over the ensuing NINE years, I didn't get one stitch of jewelry.  Even as I write, I am giggling.  I know I shouldn't be, but instead of being offended, my hubby, for nine years, gave me a good ribbing about my poor taste in sparkly stuff.  Instead, he got me great things like a rototiller, kitchen mixer, really REALLY sharp knives and (my personal favorite) a bathroom scale.

Oop!  Side break from the jewelry story.  NEVER, EVER ask my hubby to just "surprise" you when it comes to gifts.  On my 30th birthday, I really didn't need or want anything.  I told him to wing it and just surprise me.   Uh, yeah.  I ended up with a bathroom scale and a box of chocolates.  My bad!  I have learned my lesson.  If he asks me what I want for a gift, I am very straightforward and clear.  No more "surprising".

Okay, back to the original story.

Anyway, after much begging and Bambi eyes, he broke down and bought me a very pretty, very amazingly designed garnet ring.  It took nine years.  NINE!  I still laugh over it.  The other day, some friends of ours were showing off her wedding ring that has been broken for three years.  It got under the wife's skin that it took so long for him to get it fixed.  My hubby snerked, and said, "Three years?  Alyson's wedding ring has been broken for thirteen."

I laughed.  So nice that his slacking makes me so happy.

And with that... Happy Anniversary, Aaron!  Thirteen years down and eternity to go!

PS. He did finally get my ring fixed.  Here it is!