five

It was just yesterday. I swear it. You and I were two fresh faced, kids (seriously look at us, we were just babies!) traipsing around the town (or in my case...the country. silly me.) without a care in the world.

After what seemed like the snap of a finger, we were a young married couple moving into a tiny one bedroom apartment, living the kind of life we'll tell our kids about one day.

You remember how I couldn't make rice to save my life right? Sometimes it resembled Elmer's Glue, sometimes it was just really crunchy? Remember how I would throw a fit and cry about screwing up dinner? I can't believe how silly I was, but you, as hungry as you probably were never got mad. You would eat it anyway and say "its not that bad" or kindly offer to go grab some burgers. Its a good thing your mom bought us that rice cooker, because you have eaten some pretty s****y rice. Thank you.

Do you remember when I gave you a fish tank for Christmas? We filled it with fish and had one left because he ate the rest of them? Isn't it nuts how enormous he is now and wags his little tail every time we come in the room just as if we had a puppy? Wouldn't it be funny if "he" was actually a "she"? As many times as I have wished that fish would just die, he has been with us since our beginning and I kinda like that.

How about the time when I woke you up in the middle of the night after throwing the covers over our heads totally convinced that there was someone in our room? I think it is cute that you stayed under there with me and said a prayer. I think you were mostly scared because you thought I was for sure possessed. I'm glad you didn't bolt after that night....because if it were me, I might have. I'm also glad we can laugh about it now.

And the time we got home one Saturday after running errands to find a mob of police cars down the street? I tried and tried to convince you to come with me to check it out (I know you hate how nosy I am) but luckily you are my voice of reason and got me to go inside. Later we found out it was a stand off and a guy blew his head off in the middle of the street. Its a good thing you were there and you have your head on straight, because I sure don't sometimes. (Did I really say "blew his head off" in this love letter?)

Remember shortly after that, we moved? We were so happy to be moving to a more safe place....and then after 10 years of having no big crimes, someone shot their girlfriend in a nearby complex and then the next year, just a few blocks away there was another standoff that ended tragically? That is just our luck. But you should know, I still love where we live. Thank you for making me feel safe regardless.

You know how the Yankees won the World Series, North Carolina won the NCAA Championship, you got into the MRI program, we went to Florida and you graduated for the first time all in one year? That was a really great year.

Remember that one time you took me to that one really girly movie at 3 in the morning because you knew I was dying to see it? At that point, I knew for sure that you loved me unconditionally.

And all the other times I woke you up at all hours of the night to take me Black Friday shopping. I really don't know many husbands who are willing to do that. You don't know this, but it is one of my favorite days of the year. Not because of the shopping, but because for some reason I feel so close to you that day. Maybe because I feel like its just you and me fighting against hundreds of people like a team. You and I really are a force to be reckoned with on Black Friday. Plus, I love that when we get home we have the best naps ever. 8 days baby!

Can you believe everything we have been through these last 5 years? Could you have ever guessed where we ended up after these 5 years? Can you even imagine what the next 5 are going to bring?

I, for one, cannot wait to find out.

Thank you for the memories, for the tears (really), for the fun, for the hard times, for the best times, for your jokes, for the late nights, for your hard work, for your thoughtfulness, for the laughs, for being here and for everything that is to come.

You know I love you.