I never wanted to get married! Ever! Even as a child and young adult I found the institution of marriage so “old school”, something so mundane I did not want any part of it. In fact I still did not want to get married on December 1st, 1994.
Yet! Seventeen years ago today I woke up, went for a 6 mile run, took a shower, put on a pair of white jeans and black hiking boots, went down to the Santa Clara Superior Court House and tied the knot!
My mom was stunned into silence when I called her after the fact, . Believe me when I say that this had only happened a couple of times that I remember, one of which was the time I blacked out from alcohol poisoning in High School. Her only daughter, heck, her only child, had gotten married without her even knowing! In jeans! She eventually got over it and both her and my dad welcomed David into their lives as if he was their own son (the son my mother had hoped for when she was pregnant with me!).
17 years have passed since that day I threw out all of my resolve to never be a wife. I never looked back! To say that my change of heart was the right decision is an understatement. Although I had known for quite some time that David was the man I would spend the rest of my life with, license or not, I could not ask for a better husband. It has certainly not been all champagne and chocolate covered strawberries over here but we both realized early on that compared to what we had been through before we finally made our relationship official, nothing could tear us apart. Absolutely nothing! In fact every challenge has only brought us closer. Of course it also helps that David has the patience of a saint, is more driven than any other person I know and as hard a worker. His undying optimism has helped us weather many a storms, and so has his amazing ability to always work through any challenge that might be thrown his way. From the first day we moved in together David has always put me and our relationship first, has supported my need for running freedom, and accepted my weird attitude towards food and eating dinner as late as possible. He also buys me soy tea lattes and caramel frappuccinos whenever I want one or the other. We have had some incredibly good times together and I cannot wait for the adventures our future may hold.
Looking back on that day 17 years ago I quickly realized that this was really the only way I was ever going to go through with a “wedding”. David was game to do whatever I wanted, big or small, and the way it turned out was truly my day, including the reception dinner at TGIF (hey, it was good back then!).
At least my jeans were white!
In honor of our 17 years together here are 17 reasons why I love him:
*for his undying optimism even in the toughest of times
*for his love for Nelson
*and understanding how much I grief for this dog
*for always replying “not as hot as my lovely as my wife” when asked if a female celebrity is pretty or hot
*for his ability to fix everything and anything
*for his uncanny ability to budget
*for the fact that he can finish my sentences and often has the same thoughts than me at the same time
*for his impeccable work ethic
*for always looking out for others
*for always coming to my races and supporting me and my running buddies even though he is not a runner
*for his sense of direction
*for always making me feel save
*for the way he makes all of our friends feel welcome
*for always looking for ways to improve our lifes
*for not being afraid of new adventures and change
*for making me love him so much I would happily leave everything behind to travel with him in a Winnebago
*for making me laugh
Happy Anniversary, G1! I am looking forward to making forever last a lifetime!
Today’s Running Tip: Commit to a training schedule!
By committing to a training schedule and telling your friends, family, and especially your running buddies about it you will easily reach your running and racing goals for the year ahead.