seven

yesterday, i suggested to greg, who is over on his work hours and going on a short work trip soon, that perhaps, if he were able, he leave work early today so we could go to lunch for our upcoming anniversary.  he said, yes, he would like that very much...

and then suggested that, "just a thought-- it would be pretty cheap if we ate in my work cafeteria."

silence. for just a moment.  will he realize the error of his ways, or will i point it out to him?

i love greg-- maybe because he doesn't possess all of that hallmark romance that results in an overconsumption of fanny may and dead flowers and jewelry i'm not going to wear.  but his unconventional suggestion of celebrating one's anniversary in a workplace cafeteria because it's cheap is almost going too far in the other direction.  wouldn't you agree?

so instead we went here...

and ate our lunch outside (which, admittedly, we could have done at the cafeteria too)...

sweet husband

and around the corner, had dessert at a coffee shop, with cappuccinos... an unofficial anniversary tradition, dating back to year one...

sweet dessert

the wife

but, it's seven years (on monday)! my favorite number!  i tell you about his slip-up... so i can tell you seven other things about greg to clear up his rap sheet--

reasons why i like him so much...

you know, we first met at a party in college.  i had one of those, "oh man, the cutest guy in the world just walked through the door, i think i will marry him" moments that start out some relationships.  but then, through the course of our conversation he told me he was majoring in physics and minoring in math and chemistry and my heart sank.  i thought, "oh man... he's b.s.'ing me.  he thinks we'll never see each other again and so he's thought up three of the most difficult subjects to impress me so that i think he's really smart."  (because in a david sedaris manner i would often imagine i was majoring in subjects like physics and math, just to pretend i was really smart. who is nerdier? the spouse actually majoring in those subjects or the one pretending to?) well, of course we did see each other after that party and he wasn't just trying to impress me-- he really was a science geek!  but pretty light on the geekiness.  i couldn't believe my luck.  i didn't even know the person throwing the party.  neither did he.  we could have easily not have met.  but we did.  and he continued to be brainyish.  he finished a ph.d. and two masters before turning 30.  i only say this because he would not ever say it or think to say it or think to be impressed by it, but i am continually in awe of his accomplishments and they are what brought us here, so i also feel incredibly grateful for the brain inside his head.


he's also good at ultimate frisbee and running long distances and pulling our kids up steep hills with the burley.


he can play the cello-- to some extent.  and the guitar-- to a lesser extent.


he can make a good dinner really fast.  much faster than me.  and bake.

he doesn't like to follow recipes... i guess my feelings are sort of neutral on this point.

he likes to read books.

he wants to help and he's ethical and likes cats and dogs.

our children love him a lot.  if there's a good cop parent and a bad cop parent, he is definitely the good cop parent.  he does not do the lower-your-voice, puff-out-your-chest, intimidating dad thing, which i appreciate, and our kids do not even know to appreciate.  he will walk henry around and sing him 'i've been working on the railroad' 20 times in a row and he's told william every 'star wars' story he can think of and is now making them up to satisfy w's unceasing appetite for all things 'dar vader and emperator.'

he's modest and will probably be embarrassed by this post.  that's eight (if you don't count the bit about the recipes).  one for next year.