Day# 167 - Happy Anniversary Sweetie

Today marks the ninth year since Christen and I got married on that memorable summer day in Northampton, MA. Amazing how fast it has flown by ... next year will be the big ten year wedding anniversary and I will have to start planning for something big, especially since I am missing out on this year's. In fact, this is the first anniversary that Christen and I have been apart. It is suprising that despite medical school, residency, Army assignments, and my crazy work schedule this is the first, and hopefully last anniversary we are not together.

Some of you may remember that the start of our weekend wedding celebration didn't exactly go as planned. Our car broke down driving from Boston to Northampton the day of the rehearsal dinner, we had a monsoon of a thunderstorm that night, the rain carried over into the next morning, and somebody's mom had a monster hangover after deciding that shots of Captain Morgan's Rum was her new favorite beverage. Now most brides would have been flipping out at this point but Christen took it all in stride. And her positive outlook on life is what got us both through that day. And in the end the clouds parted, the sun came out, the hangovers subsided, and everything came together perfectly as we celebrated the joining of our lives with our family and friends. And on that beautiful summer evening in Western Massachusetts we made a promise to each other ... a promise to love each other forever, to see each other through the good times and the bad, and to never forget how blessed we are to have found the one we want to spend the rest of our lives with.

These last nine years have resembled the start of that weekend in many ways. We have been through major life decisions, career changes, job relocations, pregnancies, births, deaths, heart surgeries, military deployments, and long distance relationships. And during these times when things looked pretty grim we just hunkered down, focused on the positive things in our life, and always remembered those promises we made to each other so long ago . And in the end it has always worked out for the best ... but I don't think if I could have done it without her by my side.

With only 25 days left until we are reunited I feel like this chapter of our life is coming to an end, and a new one is about to begin. And the best part is I get to spend it with you. Love you sweetie ... always and forever.