the big ten

last thursday, i asked the kids, "do you know what tomorrow is?" excitedly, liam exclaimed, "FRIDAY!" which struck me as funny. adults have every reason to look forward to the end of a workweek. but why in the world does a four year old care that the weekend is right around the corner? are the lazy days of summer and playdates and pool excursions just a bit exhausting? anyway, i replied, "well, yes, you're right. it is going to be friday. BUT it's also mommy and daddy's anniversary!" and since i know my kids as well as i do and could anticipate what was coming, i went ahead and defined the word "anniversary". i told them that ten years ago, we got married in our church and kissed at the end. susanna's eyes lit up. "were you a princess?" she breathlessly asked. i thought about my long white dress, the veil on my head that could serve as a reasonable substitute for a tiara to a three year old, and the fact that my dashing husband wore tails and those shiny black shoes with the promise that we would live happily ever after. so, yes, i replied. for all intents and purposes -- or, at least, for all susanna's intents and purposes -- i was a princess. the next night, i walked into liam's room to see chris finishing up a story with the kids. he was in an old t-shirt and athletic shorts, sitting on the floor amidst matchbox cars and babydolls, and seemed as content as a man could possibly be. when the downstairs clock chimed 7:30 it hit me that exactly ten years prior, we were dancing our first dance at our reception. i marveled at how insanely different our lives have become in one short decade. four career changes, two dogs, three houses, two cities, and oh yeah, two little people who didn't exist back in 1999. i'd say that the word "different" is a bit of an understatement. but one thing has remained the same, from the first time i laid eyes on chris at a bar in D.C. thirteen years ago. he's still, and always will be, my Prince Charming.