Eight

Eight years ago today, Jonathan and I were married in Pino, Italy. What a glorious day it was. In honor of this special day, I would like to devote this blog post to my husband. In what follows will be random lists of "eight". It was hard to narrow everything down to only eight, but I forced myself to do it! Happy Anniversary, my dear, wonderful, amazing, incredible husband!

8 Favorite Places:
Tulip Fields - Mount Vernon, Washington
Cinque Terre, Italy
Napa and Sonoma Valleys, California
Kauai, Hawaii
New Orleans, Louisiana
Arches National Park - Moab, Utah
Front porches of Appalachia
Sacred Heart Medical Center - 9th floor (place where Holland was born)

8 Best All-time Memories:
Drinking tequila with the nuns in Mexico
Our 12,000 mile, four month long road trip in 2000
Our canoe mishap at our wedding reception
Going to the race track with my Great Uncle Bud
Visiting your Great Aunts in Bunde, Germany
The telephone marriage proposal
The burning of my lecture notes, drinking rum, and blowing the conch shell at the beach
The spiral on the Mandrin Gate napkin

8 Favorite "firsts":
Your first diaper change
My first Bob Dylan concert
Our first trip to Crater Lake (!!)
Our first ultrasound
Our first fight on our honeymoon
Holland's first laugh
Our first walk across Golden Gate Bridge
My first "Ash Wednesday" message

8 Favorite Dining Experiences:
Azteca in Seattle - the day after you proposed on the phone
PF Changs - Highlands Ranch, CO
Sidewalk Cafes - Rome, Italy
Cracker Barrel - Las Cruces, New Mexico
Taco Stands - Tecate, Mexico
Khu Larb Thai Restaurant - Port Townsend, Washington
Mr. Bill's Donut Shop - with my Uncle Bud in Deland, Florida
The Aunts House - Bunde, Germany

8 Gut-Wrenching Laughs:
You sneaking out the window at Carmen and Rick's when we were dating
You saying "Si" at the German Airport
The Italian administrator ferociously typing with one finger to complete our wedding forms (during their most prized "siesta", the day before our wedding)
The taxi driver in New Orleans who put his money in the trunk so he wouldn't spend it
The infamous elevator story, our first night in Rome
The jewelry salesman in Ballard who asked for a $5 deposit to hold a diamond engagement ring
The fan I talked you into buying in 90 degree weather after our air conditioner went out
Cluelessly, waiting on the train deck in Italy with 3 tons of luggage and the trains were on strike

That was really, really hard to do especially considering I made Jonathan a scrapbook for his 40th birthday along the same line. I came up with lists of 40 instead of lists of 8, and that was much easier than trying to narrow them down to only 8!

Anyway, Happy Anniversary Darling! I love you with all of my heart. Thank you for being the best thing that has ever happened to me!

Grow Old With Me, The Best is Yet to Be!