Happy Anniversary Mr. Maven

Today Mr. Maven and I celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary. As you can see from our photograph we were just children when we got married.

My husband, the romantic, greeted me this morning with, "Happy Anniversary! Thirty-nine years! It seems like thirty-nine minutes . . . underwater."

How I love this man!

The proposal was equally romantic. "I'm going to tell you something you're not going to like it. I love you and I want to marry you." How could I resist that?

When I was young and unmarried my sister labeled me a serial dater. I could not image being with the same man for thirty-nine days much less thirty-nine years. And some of those I dated didn't get thirty-nine minutes.

My husband and I met in a car pool that took us to work at the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego. It seems I was the only member of the five person car pool who didn't know that Mr. Maven drove two hours out of his way every day just to ride in that car pool with me.

Mr. Maven and I started our relationship as friends. Eventually, I realized that while I could live without him, I didn't want to. We are still friends and while I don't want to live without him, I've come to realize I can't live without him.

We were married in a Wedding Chapel in Arizona by a magistrate named Ersel Byrd. The sign in front of the Chapel read, Byrd's the Word. On our twentieth wedding anniversary we called Ersel to thank him. "How long has it been," he asked. "Twenty years," we answered. "Wait a moment," he said. "I have to get my book. I mark down all of my couples that have made it in my book." When he came back on the phone he said, "I remember you two, my wife and I knew that day you'd make it."

It's official. It's in the book. Yes, we've made it and then some. How could I have been so smart as to marry this man; the perfect man for me? I don't know, but thank God I did.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Maven! I love you more.