Anniversary Present 2017. 10 Reasons. Reason Number 2.

I debated between what was number one and what was number 2.  In fact I spent a good portion of this morning trying to decide.  In the end number one seemed obvious so the other fell into spot number 2.

I googled things like "the most important thing in good relationships" or "things all strong relationships have in common".  Most of the answers were things like trust, respect, listening and sex (yes it is there pretty regularly).  All I could think is that those things are so obvious.  So "normal".  We aren't normal.  In fact, we are so far from normal it is wonderful.

In the movie "Family Man" there is a near perfect quote.  Jack says to Kate "Don't you want to be the kind of couple are friends are jealous of?"  He is referring to them being financially successful.  Her response was calmly "Jack we already are." My love I know we are that couple.  I think over the years we have even lost friends and family over our happiness.  People are jealous.  They should be.

But I don't think our success falls into any of those lists I found.  I think i is because of one primary reason. It is the reason people love you.  It is the reason I love you.  We are fun.  You are fun.

Reason Number 2 - We are Fun together.

It seems to me that having fun for the past 28 years is the biggest reason why we succeed.  Many of the lists have "Spending time together" on them.  Duh?  Why would I wan to spend time with anyone else?  Who else would be so much fun?  Who else would make me laugh like you do?  Who else would make me think like you do?  We have had so much fun over the years I can't imagine what life would have been with anyone else.

Our fun spans so many areas.  So many different things we do to enjoy our time together.  So many ways to make the other one smile.  It is why I race home to be with you.  Why I miss you so much when you are gone.  When you are around I know I am going to be smiling and enjoying myself.

It seems like such a simple thing to do.  Enjoy having a good time with the person you love.  Yet so many can't pull it off.  So many other spouses need their "guys night out" or girls night out".  Not us.  I can remember that time your friends all came to the city.  Within a few hours you were calling me to join you at the piano bar.  Why?  Not because you were bored, but because you'd rather have had that good time with me.  I am exactly the same way.

We have had fun so many different ways.

Remember all the fun games we used to play when we were broke?  I think coloring on each other was just the tip of the iceberg.  We thumb wrestled, we played that silly rhyming game and we even had some weird form of leg wrestling (with our clothes ON no less!).

We had fun with friends.  No matter how lame Lisa and Eric turned out to be in the long run we had fun with them.  4th of July parties, game nights, outing with the kids.  Always found ourselves making some kind of memory.  Some of the best we have.

You know why your lame-ass sister quit inviting us to her parties right?  Because by the end of every party her friends were gathered around you for the fun.  Cartwheels anyone?  Twister?  Didn't we do something to someone's bathroom once?  Those Butler folks never saw us coming, but they so wanted to be us.

Starck Club much?  Wow were those crazy fun times?  Who else walks to the back of the bar and catches their wife having a "whose butt is better" contest with a Vegas Disco band leader?  And winning I might add.  I can hear "Brass Monkey" playing now.  So you must be in the bathroom.

Pool parties?  Pool fun?  Margarita machines?  Wow - the drunk people we let drive home.  Older and wiser us would never allow that to happen.

Milwaukee was a blast.  We made going to Brewer games a day long event.  Trips to Cascade.  Kickball games.

Then the past 5 years in Chicago on our "retirement/vacation".  So much fun we have had to slow it down.

But our fun isn't just the drinking and partying.  It can be just being together.  Just laughing with one another.  Playing cards.  Playing Jenga.  Singing our lungs out.  Watching sports.  Seriously who has a wife who is such a big sports fan?  And not the casual kind - areal sports fan!

Anything to just be together.  Anything to make the other smile.

So take all of those other lists and throw them out the door.  My wife has made the past 28 years the most fun I have ever had.  All the while we raised two kids, built a business, built a life and grew up.  Grew up together I might add.

I am the luckiest man in the world.

So happy "almost" our anniversary my love. Just 2 days to go.

You're the world to me.  I love you more than anything in the world.