41 years

Doug and I spent a mellow anniversary in the middle of spring break.  He took the day off and we didn't do anything special or huge to celebrate.

Doug's sweet cousin, Michelle, lost her husband at the beginning of the week.  They were celebrating spring break, hiking near St. George, when he literally just dropped over dead, without any sign or warning.  He was only 51 years old.  It was heartbreaking.  His funeral was on the morning of our anniversary, so Doug and I drove to Idaho for the funeral, early that morning.  The viewing line was 90 minutes long.  It hit me hard, that they were ending their earth-life together on the day that Doug and I were celebrating 41 years together.  I cherish every moment with Doug, even the few short ones on the phone each day when he calls during his breaks, and pray morning, noon and night that we will have many more years together in this life.

We came back to Logan and went to Cafe Sabor for shrimp enchiladas, which are a favorite there.  The rain has slowed down, so we ate outside on the enclosed patio, which is where we always sit, even in the dead of winter.  It was a long, relaxing late lunch/early dinner, then I felt like I needed to check in on one of the widows in our ward, so we did and had a lovely visit.  We planned to come home and watch a movie, but our Bishop and his wife dropped by so we visited with them for a long time, which brought lots of good stories and laughs.  After they left, we watched the movie, with Quayd, while Zeej was on a date with Will.

Doug even offered to hottub very late, but we had early morning meetings and decided to pass.  Totally a casual day, with lots of friends and family and fun, not at all a romantic anniversary, but perfect for us.  We spent the day together and that was all that mattered to either of us.

I literally can not express how deeply I love this man, who puts up with me and my clean freak, germaphobic moods, with my Diet Coke and eating out habits, with my constant gabbing even when he needs his sleep, with all of my weaknesses.  He's the perfect man for me.  I found this old photo of us a few weeks ago.  This was our first date.  I love the fact that we grow stronger and stronger every day.  Forty-one years is a long time to be by each other's side and I can't wait for the rest of eternity together.  He's my better half.  Truly.  No brag, just fact.