Our 37th Anniversary - WOW

My love, thank you so much for being the love of my life all these years. Like I said on the flowers, I have done one perfect thing in my life and I wake up next to her every day.  Who could ask for more.

I saw this a few weeks ago and at that time decided it needed to be my anniversary blog post for you this year.  This is MY paraphrased version (no copying for me).

On his 50th anniversary a man was asked by his grandson a question he had never had to think about before.  His grandson asked simply "grandfather, you have been with the same woman for 50 years.  How did you manage to love the same woman for that long?"

The grandfather thought for a few minutes.  Then he looked at his grandson and replied very simply "I haven't been in love with the same woman for 50 years."  The shocked grandson replied "how is that possible, you and grandmother have been together for 50 years.  You have loved other women during that time?"

The grandfather quickly replied, "no son, it hasn't been the same woman for 50 years.  Allow me to explain."

You see son, when I met your grandmother she was just 18.  She was the most sought after girl in town.  I loved her energy, I loved how she bounced into a room and everyone noticed her.  I loved how sexy she was, how she radiated and lit up a room.  I love how she made me pursue her and earn her love and attention.  I loved her with so much curiosity and was so enamored with how she made feel different than I had ever felt before. I finally knew what love was.

So I married her.

In her 20's she was pretty much the same vibrant and exciting girl I first loved.  But responsibility and a desire for us to create a family was making us different people.  More mature?  Maybe, more driven for our future?  100%.  Your grandmother became a focused, driven and more adult woman.  Honestly, she grew sexier by the day.  She wasn't the same girl she was before, even though she was just as fun and exciting.  But my love for this version of your grandmother was even greater than her previous version.  Suddenly we shared a vision for what we wanted to become together.

Then we had children.

Once your grandmother become a mother, I found a whole new love for her.  Again, she was the same person, just a different version.  I marveled at how she coordinated our family.  How she suddenly knew everything we needed to do.  How she managed a household, raised young kids and formed what we now know as our family.  She freed me up to focus on my job and made certain that I was doing the right things for our family.  She made me finish school, made me act more professional and fix some of the flaws I had from my youth.  She was an amazing parent, a spectacular wife and an even sexier woman.  I loved this version of your grandmother even more than any version I had loved before.

Our kids grew older and presented some challenges.

As now parents and career people, we started having new life challenges.  Our lives were no longer just about us.  We needed focus.  We needed direction.  We needed to not make mistakes.  Again, your grandmother stepped up.  We both worked hard, but she made sure we had family time.  We both had little time, but she made sure that what time we had was well spent.  She coordinated soccer schedules, school events, holidays, birthdays and everything else under the sun.  During the time when most marriages struggle - we did not.  We thrived.  She grew even more confident and strong.  I now loved this new version of your grandmother most of all.  And yes it made me find her even more sexy.  We became closer and more in love than ever.

Then we moved to a foreign land.

The biggest decision we have ever made found us alone in Wisconsin.  Just us and the kids.  Most marriages crumble with such a big change.  But not ours.  Somehow we grew stronger.  Your grandmother became yet another version of herself.  She was outwardly confident when I knew she was terrified inside.  She made us adapt to our new home.  She created the home we all now remember as "growing up time".  Down to every last detail.  This version of your grandmother was different.  She knew we had to be ONE unit and nothing would stop her from making a life for all of us that we would cherish.  I was now in love with the fearless leader of our family.  Sexy?  Off the charts.  I was in love all over again.  An exciting love to boot.

Kids left home and it was just us.

As we grew older and the kids went to college and moved out.  We suddenly became a "young couple" again.  This meant - as expected - a new version of your grandmother to fall in love with.  We had so much fun.  We did things we hadn't ever done before.  Exciting things, risky things, things that were just about US.  Not our family US, but US as a couple.  I'd race home from work just to be with her.  I was excited to find out what she planned for the evening.  We were an on-the-go couple enjoying every moment.  We even shut others out a bit because we were so focused on one another.  This version was ultra sexy and so new and exciting.  I was in love with one of the most exciting version of your grandmother ever.

Then we became in-laws and grandparents.

Suddenly our fun included son-in-laws and grandkids.  Again, a pivot from your grandmother.  I watched her revert to the caring organizer she had been in her 20s. She meticulously planned weddings and events.  She prepped your mom for your birth.  She made sure every detail was covered.  She made sure her girls big days were perfect.  Changes to holidays, changes to birthdays, changes to family events, she never missed a beat.  This new version became the new love of my life.  Sexy?  Oh man.

You see, my dear grandson, I've been in love with many versions of of the same woman for my whole adult life.  I've had some of the sexiest women in the world in my life all in the same person.  Has her appearance changed over the years?  Possibly.  But I see the woman inside of her most of all.  And I am so in love with her it would matter if her hair was curly, straight or green.  Every version of her through the years have been amazing and I have loved them all.

The grandfather paused and finished up by saying, "Frankly son, I have been so busy falling in love with your grandmother for 50 years, I haven't had time to notice other women or even be concerned about them.  I have all the variety of women a man could ever need in one amazing person.  For that I am forever thankful.  I hope one day you tell a similar story."

The grandson smiled.  He hugged me and got up quickly.  "Where are you going?" I asked.  "To hug Meemaw" he said.  I replied, "Good call son".

So there it is my love, my version of the tale.  Happy Anniversary.

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