Friday, Sept. 2, 2011: 14 years later

Yesterday was my anniversary. Stacy and I have been together 14 years. While Gavin was eating his lunch yesterday I told him, "I'm taking Mommy out to dinner because it's our anniversary. Can you say, 'Happy Anniversary'?" He said, "Happy," and then paused for a long time, a look of serious consideration on his face, and then he said, "birthday."

I took her to The Whitney because that's where she said she wanted to go and where she probably thought I would not take her. After 14 years I can still surprise my wife by exceeding her low expectations. That's a recipe for marriage success.

I also bought and wore a skirt for the occasion, as well as a sleeveless shirt to go with it. When Gavin got up from his nap I said, "Help me pick out what to wear tonight," and while Gavin and I gazed into my closet, it was readily apparent that I didn't have anything to wear. I knew Stacy would be disappointed if I looked like I was just going to work, so I told Gavin, "Get your shoes on, we have to go to Old Navy." Because Old Navy is where you go when you need an outfit to wear to The Whitney on a date with your wife after 14 years together. Obviously. (In my defense I had a strong suspicion that they would have a skirt that was not too ostentatious for my tastes -- basically if a nun wouldn't wear it I probably wouldn't either -- and I know how their clothes fit me for the most part). If you are ever looking for a last minute date outfit I highly recommend you take a two-year-old shopping with you. I'm not actually kidding. Knowing that Gavin had a limited attention span for lady-clothes shopping made for a Supermarket Sweep style shopping experience. I found a skirt and a top in less than ten minutes, tried them on in four, and purchased them and was out the door in under 20 minutes. There was no time for overthinking or hemming and hawing about things like "size" and "fit." I ended up with an XXL skirt I needed to secure around my waist with rope and an XS blouse that I needed to Ace-bandage myself Yentl-style in order to squeeze into it. I'm kidding. Both the skirt and the shirt fit and Stacy was impressed. So basically I bought myself an outfit for her anniversary present. Like I said, I'm pretty much the best wife.