Celebrating the third.

The third wedding anniversary is supposed to illicit an understanding of the durability of your marriage. You are supposed to help the economy and celebrate this epiphany by purchasing something leather for lover, perhaps an alligator covered Bible.

Tim and I will be celebrating this remarkbly mediocre occasion by enjoying a home cooked dinner, a bottle of wine, and planning for our future (he doesn't know this yet). I am planning to not only discuss our financial planning, which includes some sort of IRA for his musician retirement, but to applaud his continued practice schedule and personal investment in his career as a professional. Long ago and far away (one year ago in Ohio), Tim promised me that if he did not have a job within two months of living in Chicago, he would get a "Joe Job," as in, Regular Joe. Starbucks. Office. Library. Boring and unfulfilling McJob. Nightmare.

Currently, he officially has two jobs for two different music studios. He has set a goal for himself to be able to pay for rent ($1,150) with his paychecks by December. Tim has also started cleaning the house without being asked or reminded. The last improvement will surely make his past roommates wet their pants; I assure you this is a huge and welcome change in Timothy's home life.

Honestly though, it's not that Tim has changed overnight, it's that I am now understanding what to accept and what to encourage, both from Tim and from myself. Even though he tidies up the living room, he will never carry his empty beer bottle back to the kitchen when he is retrieving full one. He will only eat left-overs if they are from a restaurant, and only if they can be reheated in an oven, not a microwave. He will smoke cigarettes until he is confident he can quit successfully. He will see the growth in his biceps after working out twice.

Last night we spooned on the couch to watch Reno 911. We talked about our non-plans to celebrate the third anniversary of our wedding ceremony, and we both agreed we had done a large amount of STUFF in the last three years together. And I suddnely realized that when we celebrate our fifth or sixth, we will probably have conquered much bigger mountains that graduate school, adopting cats, and two major moves across the plains.

In conclusion, I am so thankful to share my life with the incredible Tim.