11.

Eleven years ago today, Big Red took me out on a date.  We had lunch, went for a drive and then watched the movie Fight Club.  How could we have known, eleven years ago, that we would end up here?  And here, let me tell you, is oh so good.  Life, despite the often hairpin turns we cannot see coming at us, has somehow fallen into place for Mr. & Mrs. Big Red.

This date, in our household, carries more weight than our wedding anniversary.  When we finally exchanged vows, Big Red and I had already been together for seven years; seven years that took us through a long distance relationship while I was in graduate school, a cross-country move, the death of Big Red's brother, and the fight to establish ourselves in a new town.  We'd done and seen so much that to have erased those seven years before just because a marriage license was issued, seemed - and still does - ridiculous.  When July 13 rolls around, our wedding anniversary, it's more or less a high-five kind of a day.  When May 11 comes up, we both get excited and look for different ways to celebrate.

When I got home from work today, Big Red produced a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I haven't gotten flowers in a while, and I teared up. A combination of bright pinks and purples, Gerber daisies, tulips and carnations.  He said he actually thought about what "looked like [me]," and what would look good in my (halfway done with the makeover) writing/craft room.  He thought of me, and that's what was special.

As I write this, Big Red is in the shower getting the stink blowed off him. After he's done, we're going out to dinner.  Nothing fancy this year, just a meal at the Cheesecake Factory.

I have a good feeling that no. 11 is going to be a good year for us.  The pieces are falling into place on both our career fronts (more on Big Red's later...don't want to speak too soon...), there's some chatter about little ones, and our beloved Olive is thriving. Yesterday we took her in for her yearly check-up, and the vet gave her a clean bill of health.

Whether it is God, the universe, or fate - I count myself a lucky woman. To be with someone who challenges me to be a better person, and who loves me despite all my idiosyncrasies, is a gift.