Happy Birthday To My One and Only

Today is my better half's birthday. I won't divulge his age, even though he's not embarrassed by it. I'll just say that he is two years older than me.Erik and I had a whirlwind romance. We met the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2000, were "pre-engaged" by Valentines day of 2001, officially engaged by June of 2001 and our wedding was December 29, 2001.

Let me say that in general I do not believe in nor am I a fan of pre-engagement. I think it is silly. Why would you promise to get engaged to someone - just get engaged. So, in my mind, we were engaged by Valentine's day. That Valentine's Day we didn't do anything special. Erik was doing snow removal way back then and was usually up early in the morning, helped deliver food at his brother's restaurant and very tired by the end of the day. I worked full time, so I wasn't available during the day to do anything so he had just come to my townhouse that night and we cooked and hung out.

At some point in the night, Erik brought out a ring he had purchased in Israel. It was a silver ring and in Hebrew, the ring was engraved with a verse from the Bible, "I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine" - Song of Solomon 6:3. He told me that he purchased the ring with the intention of giving it to the girl he intended to marry someday. Sweet, right? Ten months later we were married. It feels like it's been a whirlwind eight years too. Happy Birthday, Honey. Hope all your dreams come true!