Ick's Corner

Thirteen years ago today, two people who had only known each other 6 months decided to get married. What the hell were we thinking?  We had no idea what being married truly meant. I guess you could say we were young and dumb. With the years however has come wisdom.  I think the single greatest piece of advice I have ever received concerning marriage is this.  Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff. The wife and I were kicking around a little gift shop last night on the Kemah Boardwalk, trying to kill some time before our dinner reservation.  I mentioned to the girl working in the shop that  it was our anniversary weekend and she asked how long had we been married. I replied 13 years, and she immediately asked what’s the secret? Seems her and her boyfriend had just broken up the week before.  I told her  patience and understanding.

Now I will not sit here and try to spin a tale of the happily ever after story book marriage. If I had to categorize our first 10 years in a video rental store, it would be found in the horror section. Now it wasn’t all bad, but anyone who knows us, know we have gone through our fair share of problems.  The wife and I break our marriage down into two time lines. The first 10 years, and the last 3 year.  Over the last 3 years we have finally figured out what it truly means to be married. What it means to work together, and there is more *Ours* then Mine and Yours .  See that term *Ours* is something that we never really understood in the early years. We were more a Mine, and Yours, but never ours kind of couple. I have come to realize over the years that those kind of couples become a statistic.

I have come to realize over the years, that my life doesn’t work or run near as smoothly without my wife in it.  She is my best friend, and the single most important person in my life next to my daughter. For a long time I didn’t realize that. I used to put everything else ahead of her. This would later turn out to become a HUGE problem.  Yes she can be a pain in the ass at times, some would say she is spoiled, but she deserves it. For no other reason, she puts up with me!  I know its hard to believe, but I am not the easiest person to live with.  We have gone through hell and back and come out on the top of the mountain.  I am thankful every day that I have her in my life.  No one gave us 6 months when we got married, 13 years later I wonder *what were you guys thinking*?  Last night at dinner I found myself wondering if the judge that married us is still around. I’m sure he didn’t give us much of a chance after I asked for the ceremony to be done in Spanish, so I could later claim I didn’t know what I was getting into.

So to my wife I say thank you for always being there, even when I probably didn’t deserve it. Without you, there is no me.  We may have been to hell and back, but I wouldn’t trade one footstep in the journey of our life together.