A Decade of Marriage

10 years ago I married my best friend. I can't say enough about him. He has a tender and loving heart, is full of affection and kindness, has a witty and wicked sense of humor.  He is a renaissance man who builds custom furniture with his hands, writes songs, sings, plays numerous musical instruments, can fearlessly sail a motocross bike through the air, and writes software code like no one's business. But he’s so much more than what he does and the gifts he brings to the world. He’s been my greatest support, my biggest fan, my mirror, a catalyst to help me grow, my traveling companion, my playmate, my caretaker, my lover, my muse, my partner in crime in all aspects of my life and the most loving husband I could ask for.

These past 10 years have been quite a journey complete with highs, lows, uncertainty, fear, joy, adventure, endings, beginnings, and an ever present love and appreciation for one another and the triad we’ve created of me, him and our union. I honor and cherish these past 10 years and do not take a single moment of our time together for granted. I hope the next decade together is just as adventurous and I not so secretly hope that it allows us to start a small family of our own :)

And speaking of family, a special thanks to my brother-in-law and his wife for their persistent mischief in introducing Gary and I to each other on May 22, 1999. We can't thank them enough for bringing us together. We knew their hunch was spot on when our first date lasted nearly 12 hours: we rode a taxi, train and bus just to get to the wrong entrance of The Cloisters, hopped a fence, hiked up a hill just to spend about 45 minutes exploring the museum. We talked for hours, ate lunch, dinner and dessert together and watched "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the movie theater and then ended the evening by walking over 100 city blocks to the Upper East Side before going to our respective homes. Yes, it was a date to remember!

On our wedding day I read a long excerpt of Walt Whitman’s “Song of the Open Road” to Gary.

Allons! the road is before us!

It is safe--I have tried it--my own feet have tried it well--be not detain'd!

Let the paper remain on the desk unwritten, and the book on the

shelf unopen'd!

Let the tools remain in the workshop! let the money remain unearn'd!

Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher!

Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the

court, and the judge expound the law.

Camerade, I give you my hand!

I give you my love more precious than money,

I give you myself before preaching or law;

Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me?

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

And he read to me a poem by Leigh Hunt:

Jenny kissed me when we met,

Jumping from the chair she sat in;

Time, you thief, who love to get

Sweets into your list, put that in!

Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,

Say that health and wealth have missed me,

Say I'm growing old, but add,

Jenny kissed me.

And then we danced to our song: