Our 15th Anniversary

Where did the time go?  I honestly can’t believe Jason and I have been married 15 years now.  The best part is that I honestly look forward to the next 15 years with even a higher level of marital satisfaction than when we first got married.  We have a wonderful life together, and it just keeps getting better.

To celebrate our Anniversary, we flew to London for the weekend, this time without the kids.  (We really appreciate our friends, Mark and Anne Baird, who took care of them for us.)  We had an incredible time, and wished we could have stayed longer. 

Jason is a pretty amazing guy, and I can’t possibly write a blog post that does justice to how lucky I feel to be married to him.  So, instead, I will make a shorter list about what I loved about him this weekend:

1.       He let me pick anywhere I wanted to go for our anniversary.  Even though he has been to London many times, he was still supportive of my choice and didn’t question it. 

This is the actual Rosetta Stone -- in the British Museum.  There's a reason why this place is
 on the top 100 things to do before you die.  It's really cool!!

Also in the British Museum, this is a bonafide totem pole.  It was staggering to see
the vast amount of  artifacts the British  have collected from civilizations all over the world.

2.       Mainly, I wanted to go to London in order to go to the theater.  I am lucky enough to be married to someone who genuinely loves plays and especially musicals as much as I do.  I picked “Jersey Boys” for Friday night, but on Saturday afternoon, I told him it was his turn.  We could see anything he wanted, even a movie like “The Avengers” or “The Hunger Games.”  Instead, he picked same-day tickets to the critically-acclaimed musical “Sweeney Todd.”  Granted it’s about a crazy throat-slitting barber (which is very “Jason”), but still, he picked a musical over a movie (or anything else), and I love that about him.  Also, the production was AMAZING.  I didn’t know anything about the story going in, but the music was so beautiful and the story was so tragic—it was a masterpiece…not to be missed.



          3. He insisted we have traditional afternoon High Tea.  I thought this seemed a little silly and pretentious when he suggested it, but I was so glad we did it!  After spending some time in the British Museum, we went to the upper floor where they have a restaurant which serves afternoon tea.  But it wasn’t just tea.  They brought the most lovely tray of little sandwiches, scones and desserts—it was so fancy and fun.  I ordered a citrus ginger herbal tea. Jason’s was green apple.  It was such a fun experience I will never forget.

4.      Before the weekend started, Jason wrote out 52 questions to ask me during the weekend.  These were questions like, “Name something I do that annoys you,” and “What has surprised you most about being a parent?”  He asked what advice I would give myself if I could go back and talk to myself in high school, and what attributes do I most fear our kids will pick up (from both of us).  When you have been married such a long time, you assume you already know everything about each other, but your views change over time, and asking deliberate questions like these can give you surprising answers.  The questions certainly made for some excellent and enlightening discussions.

5.      I loved that Jason spent almost 2 hours searching for a bed knob on Portobello Road in Notting Hill.  And I helped him.  We went into a least a dozen antique shops searching for a brass knob like the one in the movie “Bed knobs and Broomsticks,” which was also purchased on Portobello Road.  At first I didn’t understand why it was so important to him, but then I realized the symbolism of what the bed knob means to him: it symbolizes the creativity, wishful thinking, and imagination of youth.  I love that Jason is still a kid at heart.

one of MANY antique shops on Portobello Road
and one brass knob Jason finally found

We had to search through so much clutter.  My mom would have
been in paradise--she loves antiques.

6.       Jason knows how to dress up.  Geez—he has nice style.  We went out to late dinners twice, and both times Jason wore a different suit.  He looked great…better than great.  I love him for taking the time to wow me when he would have looked just fine in jeans and a button-down shirt.  But he still makes an effort to impress me.  Wish I had pictures...

7.       I love that Jason is thoughtful and considerate.  When I wore heels in the evening, he insisted we take taxis to save my feet from too much walking, even though I told him I was fine taking the tube. He wouldn’t hear of it.

8.      I love that he noticed my manicure and then complimented me on it.

9.       I love that Jason is obsessed with these red phone booths in London.  I already have a million pictures of him in them, some even back from high school, but almost every time we passed one, he still wanted more pictures. 

10.   Finally, I love that after 15 years, Jason is still as fun to be with as ever.  He is hilarious, witty, and talkative.  He is incredibly good with maps and directions.  He is generous, entertaining, and tireless.  I love that he told me to drop a few coins in the guitar case of the guy playing Metallica in the subway.  I love that he always smells great.  I love that he makes me laugh. I love that he’s careful with money but not cheap.   I love that he is so full of enthusiasm for life.

         

I love you, Jase!  Happy Anniversary!