11 Things I've Learned So Far

September 13th came and went but I have to post about this fantastic day.

Eleven years ago, Jeff and I were married in the Seattle Temple. It was on Friday the 13th and we weren't suspicious at all of the day we chose to tie the knot. There was a light drizzle that morning but it all stopped so we could get our pictures taken outside of the temple. We knew luck was on our side. Eleven years and 4 beautiful children later, our lives are full of laughter, love, tears, surprises and defeats but through it all we are growing, trusting, and learning.

Here's what I know so far:

1. Doing the laundry or making dinner means "I love you."

2. Apparently, shaving my legs also means "I love you."

3. Fight wisely. Let small things go. Really go. Don't hang on to them for future fights.

4. Men's weight fluctuates only 5 pounds from marriage weight. Women's weight fluctuates 80 pounds from marriage weight. Get over it. Love yourself, love your mate, take care of each other no matter what your weight is.

Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !! "The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale. Bob has been missing since Friday.

5. Apologize, no matter how hard it is. Apologize quickly and sincerely.

6. "I'm sorry that you ... " is not an appropriate form of apology.

7. Remember your first date. Recapture the feelings you had for each other. Remember it often.

A woman awakes during the night to find that her husband was not in their bed. She puts on her robe and goes downstairs to look for him. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front him. He appears deep in thought, just staring at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of coffee."What's the matter, dear?" she whispers as she steps into the room. "Why are you down here at this time of night?" The husband looks up, "Do you remember 20 years ago when we were dating, and you were only 17?" he asks solemnly. The wife is touched thinking her husband is so caring and sensitive. "Yes, I do," she replies. The husband pauses. The words are not coming easily. "Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?" "Yes, I remember," says the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him. The husband continues..."Do you remember when he shoved a shotgun in my face and said, "Either you marry my daughter, or I will send you to jail for 20 years". "I remember that too", she replies softly. He wipes another tear from his cheek and says... "I would have gotten out today!"

8. Allow "me time" outside of your home responsibilities. Hobbies are crucial to unwind and needed in order to get your deserved break.

9. Be grateful for each other. Say thank you often.

A group of girlfriends is on vacation when they see a 5-story hotel with a sign that reads: "For Women Only." Since they are without their boyfriends and husbands, they decide to go in. The bouncer, a very attractive guy, explains to them how it works. "We have 5 floors. Go up floor by floor, and once you find what you are looking for, you can stay there. It's easy to decide since each floor has a sign telling you what's inside." So they start going up and on the first floor the sign reads: "All the men on this floor are short and plain." The friends laugh and without hesitation move on to the next floor. The sign on the second floor reads: "All the men here are short and handsome." Still, this isn't good enough, so the friends continue on up. They reach the third floor and the sign reads: "All the men here are tall and plain." They still want to do better, and so, knowing there are still two floors left, they continued on up. On the fourth floor, the sign is perfect: "All the men here are tall and handsome." The women get all excited and are going in when they realize that there is still one floor left. Wondering what they are missing, they head on up to the fifth floor. There they find a sign that reads: "There are no men here. This floor was built only to prove that there is no way to please a woman."

10. Mistakes happen. Forgive often.

11. Remember the third person in your marriage. Pray often, seek guidance, do your best and be thankful when the blessings come.

It seems there was this couple from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who decided to go to Miami Beach for a few days to thaw out during one particularly cold winter. The airlines have crazy frequent flyer rules, and the wife ended up on a flight the day after her husband. The husband made it down to Florida and arrived at his hotel. Upon getting to his room, he decided to open his laptop and send his wife back in Minneapolis an email. Unfortunately, he didn't notice he had misspelled his wife's email address In South Carolina, a widow had just returned from the funeral of her husband, a Methodist pastor of many years, who had been called to glory just a few days earlier. She decided to check her email because she was expecting to hear from relatives and friends. Upon reading the first email, she let out a loud scream, fainted and fell to the floor. The woman's son rushed into the room and found his mother on the floor. He glanced up at the computer screen and saw the following email message:
To My Loving Wife: I've just been checked in. Everything has been prepared for your arrival here tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you then.
Your Devoted Husband.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

To my great husband, thanks for everything. Can you believe it's been 11 years already? I can't wait for the memories we have yet to build. All my love, Kim