How It's Done

Yes, it's that time of year, again. The temperatures are slowly rising, basketball is running mad and, most importantly, my wedding anniversary is here again.

I've already told the story here, so I'm not going to repeat that. I've also noted that, two years ago, If someone had told me I would be celebrating this anniversary, I would have said that they were crazy. But then, we had our Christmas Miracle, and our fortunes turned around. And I DO believe there was divine intervention.

So, that brings us to this year, which has been pretty good between us. We didn't ignore our anniversary, we didn't note it or mention it, we are actually CELEBRATING it this year. I never thought that would happen again..

In fact, both have us have realized that we are stronger now, together, than we were before, which is, frankly, another miracle. 

Tonight will be a family thing at the Japanese steakhouse with the kids, but Saturday was at a bar at the bowling alley, for karaoke. And no, I don't drink anymore, and didn't drink on Saturday night. I wanted to reenact the night I asked her to marry me. Since the date fell this year on the same day of the week they did 22 years ago, it worked out well.

I would have invited all of you, but I know the logistics would have been crazy, and not only would it not have been possible, who really wants to go celebrate an anniversary with someone they don't even really know and have likely never even met, right?

So, in lieu of a giant NP get-together, I had a (very poor quality) video taken of the important part of the night, which I will share here. You can't really see everything very well, because the lighting was poor for video, I messed up the lyrics and went a bit flat on the last verse, and I honestly hadn't informed Katie that there would be a quiz involved.

So, without further delay:

By the way, the correct answer to "Any Regrets?" is "Maybe Garfield."

Our marriage appears to have become a joke that only we are in on.

Later that night, we sang another of our songs together, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," which was fun.

The last song I sang for her that night was one of the ones that has been going through our heads an awful lot, recently, even though it's more than 25 years old. She thinks it's "sexy," and heaven forbid I should disabuse her of that notion. I didn't record my version, but I'll share the original. Keep in mind that twenty-two years of marriage to me have proven that she is a masochist with amazing endurance, then try to guess which line is her favorite.

(Mild content warning: Women in sexy outfits no more revealing than the average one-piece bathing suit,)

P.S. I got to see Alice Cooper last summer, for the first time. One of the most entertaining shows I've ever seen. Highly recommended, especially if you're a fan of classic horror movies. Plus,despite the stories, he is reputed to be one the nicest guys in rock n roll. He's a born-again Christian, married for 40 years (to the same woman), and a recovering alcoholic who is rumored to be the guy people in metal go to when they need help for themselves or for their bandmates.

In today's world, I think that's someone worth supporting, and a story worth celebrating.