On Our Way To Crazy

(If you found this post by googling song lyrics, that song is called “Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop” and it’s by Landon Pigg. You are welcome.)

Tonight we continued our Valentine’s Day tradition of spending ten minutes and 20 dollars at Target in a massive speed shopping extravaganza, followed by takeout from Pei Wei. Aaron got a couple of t-shirts, pushing his collection into the thousands, and a huge bag of fun size peanut M&Ms. I got some sweet glitter gel pens, a cheese slicer and a fat daddy box of Mike and Ike’s. If you’re in the market for a sugar rush, just come by our house.

I love doing this. There is zero pressure to come up with an awesome gift. There are no freakishly expensive roses bought at Publix on the way home from work, no heart-shaped ruby and yellow gold necklaces, no Whitman’s sampler, no forced romance. Just a silly game and some yummy food. It’s the best.

One of the things that drew me to Aaron was his lack of sappiness. He is practical and level-headed, almost to a fault. I’d had my fair share of boyfriends who were heavy on the cheese and the mushy and the overwrought emotion. It was so nice to be around a guy who just said what he thought, thank you, the end. I didn’t miss the extra words. There’s no hole in my life where the giant mylar balloons used to be. I love that the sweetest, most romantic moments in our marriage have taken place on random Tuesdays at the kitchen table, not a stuffy restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Last year I got bookshelves for our anniversary and it was the best gift ever.

But just because Aaron isn’t sappy doesn’t mean I can’t be, at least a little. So today I am thankful for the spanglish, the birthday hug monkeys, the pillow stealing, the houseplan drawing, the neighborhood walks, the late night drives, the Friday Night Lights marathons, the concerts, the marketing books, the football, the Kinky Friedman poster, the endless snooze button, the random band members in the living room, the cowboy boots, the chicken tacos, the t-shirts and hoodies, the seat warmers, the surprises, the made up songs, the comfort, the challenge and the oceans of Mike and Ike’s. It’s a good life.