Bon Anniversaire

I just cannot believe it’s been a year already. That is by far the fastest 365 days I have lived through. On March 7, 2009 on a sunny beautiful Saturday (despite the “3” and “7”…so sorry Leith!), I was so giddy to meet at the end of Camp Joy Road with the love of my life, that I struggled to contain myself. I knew she loved animals. I knew she was intelligent. I knew she was gorgeous. As in the book Leith got for me as an anniversary gift, "This is the Story of Our Relationship So Far"...

I was getting the unforgettable privilege of meeting the one and only Leith and her beautiful, amazing dogs for a dog walk that I can always count on looking back at, and smile of joy grows across my face just as big as the first day I spoke with her.

We have come a long, long way since then. And not only that, I have grown such a deep, deep love for her and her animals that I never dreamed to be possible, and to this day I get just as giddy to meet with Leith and her animals for walks as I did on that sunny Saturday a year ago.

It does not even come close to stopping there. Not even. I get excited, to this day, to call Leith as her alarm clock when she is sleeping. I love when she calls me during her day in the middle of my night. I get excited to check up on her during the day to see how her day is going and exchange our day-to-day happenings, and make the most of the hours each of us happen to both be awake as the sun sets its sights on setting in the west over the Atlantic and eventuallydeep down all the way into the Pacific. I get eager to talk, even after we are just getting over from a fight. I get excited to laugh with her, to joke with her, to sympathize with her, and to listen to her. There is always that extra big smile right when I notice my phone ring, and I look and it says “Leith calling”. Leith makes my day. Leith is my life.

Sure, I know there always are going to be those rather difficult conversations, as lovers do, but she has always shown me how she is there for me and always ready to listen and share her never failing thoughtful, kind words. But we talk. And we look at each other. And we tell each other how much we want to hold each other, and be right there with the other, and to comfort and love. And even as the most sad, tearful, heated, confusing, dramatic, or even emotional conversations come to an end, and we know we must say “Good bye”, we cannot even think about pushing the “end” button on the cell phone or the “End Call” button on Skype, untilwe hear those ever so meaningful, heartfelt words “I love you.”

Here is to the beginning of another year. Bon anniversaire. Thank you for being you. I love you.