seven year plunge

here's this week's soundtrack.  now go rent "benny and joon" to enjoy the original in all it's glory.

my very dearest rico suave,

I can remember when seven years seemed like a long time away.

I can remember, before the adventures at summer camp, before the WWOOFing and the splat. before redbud springs, before the mudflower csa. before zero gravity, before we had our hearts broken by the foster care system (over and over and over). before brevard, even. before families together and a home birth in montford. before the long trek to canada and home again. before iggy. before the HEAP. before new dawn midwifery. before weaverville and candler and black mountain.  before whitewater cove, before professional parenting, even before the halloween parties at oak park. I can remember when seven years seemed like a lot of time to fill.

but, my, have we filled it. I can't count the number of kids we've had in and out of our homes. I can barely count the number of homes we've had. I have watched you parent kids who never had a dad of their own, and I have watched you learn to be a dad to our own kids. I have seen you make a garden out of an empty lot, I've seen you grow vegetables from old tires, tree stumps, and even in the canadian tundra. I have watched you make meals, really delicious ones at that, from a pantry I was sure was empty. you've led me on backpacking trips, cross-country trips, and grocery store trips (it can be an intimidating place!). we've made friends and grown community and learned over and over that not everyone sees life quite the same way we do.

and, man I love how you see life. I love that you are so good with money. I love that you're willing to live on next-to-nothing so that we can raise our kids together. I love that you find creative ways to keep us debt-free and never wanting for much. I love that you are willing to take on whatever adventure we manage to dream up, that you are willing to indulge my wanderlust. I love that you are willing to remind me just how important home is, too, and even where it is when I need that reminder. I love that you love our kids. I love that you love other people. I love that the way you love is so different than mine, because I learn so much that way. I love the way our story goes, all the different pieces and places and players. I love hearing you tell it to people who have no idea how crazy we really are. I love how proud you are of the life we are living.

and how proud you are of me. I wish I could see me through your eyes all the time. thank you for pushing me (or pulling me) into what you know I can do, what I should do, what I want to do. I am a better person because I am married to you. thank you for spending so much of your time, so much of your life with me. I love your perspective, your patience, your persistence. you provide balance to our relationship and to our family. to our community. to my life.

seven years ago you asked me to take the plunge with you. seven years ago we decided we could do life better together than we could apart. seven years ago we started living the story we'll be proud to tell our kids one day. as we celebrate our seventh plunge, I could not be happier with the life we have created, with the adventure we are living. I love you all the way, pinto. and I wanna keep on plunging every day of our lives.

yours for the ups and downs and all the in-betweens,

slick

ps- you are soooooooo hott. for real.