Our Anniversary

I realized that I have written Birth Stories for each of the kids, but haven't ever written about Chuck and me. I'll keep it short so you don't all die from the ooeygooeyness.

We both went to Carleton. Many of you reading know the exact story of how we met. I plead the fifth. So does Chuck. Anyway, we started dating my sophomore year, his senior year. We were never apart after that.

On a misty Thursday night in October of my senior year he picked me up after a basketball open gym. He told me that we should go for a walk, which I thought was odd. It was not a nice night. We decided to sit in a gazebo right by the Cannon River. I was CRANKY. I had had a bad day, and it was midterms. I sat in the gazebo just ranting to Chuck, who sat patiently sweating bullets. Finally I said "oh my God, I'm such an awful girlfriend! I haven't asked how you are. How are you?" and he said "well if you are such a bad girlfriend, how about you just be my wife instead?" Awww. And he pulled out the box with a ring in it but didn't get it out. He just held it up and showed it to me. I waited a sec but then just dove in and took it out myself. I asked why he didn't put it on my finger and he explained that he got the ring a few weeks ago and had held on to it (without me knowing) but in the meantime a ring-sizing kit had come in the mail and I tried it and it said that I was a different size than the ring he got. He was nervous it wouldn't fit me! It did though, have no fear.

To celebrate, we went to Taco Bell. What else do you do in Northfield?

Anyway, each year on our anniversary Chuck gets me something following the traditional gift guide. I might be making that name up. You know, paper is for the 1st anniversary, etc. etc. I never look it up because I want to be surprised. This year was bronze. He got me a bronze-cast Buddha Amitabha. That particular Buddha reached enlightenment through persistence, which reminded him of my journey to get over panic disorder. How sweet is that? I was amazed.


I got him a painting. I found it on an art adoption website that I stalk. I had previously tried to adopt a work from this particular painter, but she ended up sending it to a gallery for an exhibition. I wrote her again, inquiring about a waterscape. I explained that I wanted an anniversary gift but couldn't spend money really because of our lay-off, and that this particular piece reminded me of being at the ocean and how peaceful that time was. And she picked me! Hooray! So we get this beautiful painting, which I can't post yet, because there are several in the series and I'm not quite sure which we'll end up getting.

I found it ironic that we both got pieces of art that reminded us of peacefulness.

AND my mom gave us an anniversary present. She didn't want us to have to stay in the house all the time because of our financial situation. She gave us a stack of gift cards 2 inches thick to all our favorite places. Blew me away.

Happy Anniversary Sweetie (it was 2 days ago, I'm a bit slow). I love you.