5 Year Anniversary

5 years since the most fun and beautiful wedding I've ever attended (granted, I admit to being biased). During the past five years, we've been through a lot: buying a home (and having me constantly have work done on it - no, we're not done yet!), welcoming our precious daughter and the all consuming but tremendously rewarding experience of being parents, the ups and downs of several job changes, and all of the joys and challenges of everyday life. Through it all, I think we both feel we now "know" each other, including what we cannot change. I have to admit, there is some comfort in that. Although, on this 5th anniversary, I was unexpectedly surprised. We are leaving in 2 days for a somewhat impromptu trip for Costa Rica. Norm researched the meaning of each anniversary and found out that 5 years is the travel anniversary, so how fitting that we are getting to travel to someplace exotic and hopefully relaxing? Because of the trip, we didn't plan a fancy dinner out tonight or anything else. After our traditional morning exchange of cards (we always each get 2 cards for some reason), the day proceeded as normal, including attending Lauren's dance recital (photos to come - wow she was cute!). Norm was feeling under the weather, so he headed home right after the recital while I took Lauren to Wahoo's with Nanny Kristen. It seemed fitting to me to be spending my anniversary at Wahoo's, as that is also where Norm and I went the night we got engaged. After having a no nap day, Lauren blissfully went right to sleep when I put her down at 7:15 p.m. (thanks in part to recent new sleep training advice from Kristen - our own babywhisperer). As I'm sitting at the kitchen nook reading the real estate section from the Saturday paper (still a favorite), Norm approaches me with a small box and opens it to reveal a drop dead gorgeous diamond necklace. It is a chain with a pendant that has 5 small round diamonds mounted vertically (descending in size). Norm says that the 5 diamonds represent our five years of marriage. Now everyone who knows me knows how picky I am when it comes to jewelry (or anything, really). I love this necklace, for its meaning, its appearance, and for its unexpectedness (of course I confirmed he didn't pay retail). What a sweet
surprise, Sweet-T. Thank you so much. And Happy Anniversary.