19 and counting...

Today marks 19 years of marriage for us. We are blessed to still be living out our vows. 'Tis a comfortable stage of life. Past the newlywed adjustments, past the busy days with little people under foot constantly (oh, I'm still busy -just not wiping noses, answering a thousand questions and kissing scraped knees), past the struggle to get established financially... and yet still having our family here under one roof.

Nothing special planned for today. I would love to take the day off but it doesn't appear wise in light of the piles of work staring at me. Probably eat by candlelight this evening. We have reservations made for Friday evening at the Grande Suite of a hotel, at which time we will go out to a nice restaurant.

In honor of the occasion, I have selected 19 items from our He says/She says list- 

1. I like coffee. Black. / I enjoy the smell of coffee but only drink the watered down stuff (iced coffee or cappuccino)
2. My best time of day is morning. / I get on a roll about suppertime and go to bed whenever I get done [relatively speaking; a woman's work is never really done], usually between 10 or 11 pm.
3. I prefer vanilla. / Make mine chocolate. (If we're talking candy, make mine dark chocolate!)
4. I brush my teeth with warm water; it's refreshing. / Yuck! I brush with cold water because it's refreshing.
5. I like watermelon (& muskmelon). / If I want water I'll drink it, not eat it.
6. I would take the bank's word for it if my checkbook doesn't balance. / No way. It has to come out to the penny every time.
7. Why can't she remember a simple thing like how to retrieve voicemail? / Why can't he figure out a simple thing like how to order flowers online?
8. My eyesight is better than 20/20 but my hearing is selective. / I'm blind as a bat without my glasses but my hearing is sharp.
9. I untie the laces to take my shoes off. / I kick my shoes off still tied -saves time.
10. When I pack a suitcase, I always take an extra set of clothes. / I only take what I really need.
11. My family always ate applesauce as a side dish with the main course. / My family always ate it as a dessert with cake (or on pancakes).
12. I can find my way around by instinct. / I print out directions from MapQuest.
13. I could care less which way the toilet paper comes off the roll- I know she cares but I never remember which way. / T.P. must come off the roll from the top.
14. I like eggs for breakfast. Cereal just doesn't cut it- I'd rather go without. / Eggs nauseate me in the morning. I always eat cold cereal.
15. I pick a steakhouse to celebrate special occasions. / I pick Red Lobster. 
16. I'm doing good to read a book once. / I re-read my favorite books periodically. 
17. Reading in bed makes me fall asleep in 2 minutes. / Love reading in bed! I can stay awake half the night reading if it's a good book. 
18. 'Sleeping in' is staying in bed till 7 am, and staying up late is anything after 9 pm. / 'Sleeping in' is staying in bed till 9:30 am, staying up late is after 11 pm.
19. When I'm sick I don't mind being fussed over. / When I'm sick I want everybody to just leave me alone so I can sleep it off.

It's a wonderful life! We see these things as teaching our children there are options in life (like mayo v. Miracle Whip), rather than disagreements.