Diamonds vs. Tattoos

In (nearly) ten years of marriage my husband and I have grown up, raised children, challenged each other and fused into one. We have compromised without compromising ourselves. We have grown without leaving the other behind. We have fought and reconciled. We have gone to bed angry and made up in the morning. We have loved unconditionally and reflected upon how our love for each other has changed. My husband is my partner through and through.

Publish Post

Next week we celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. I'm not going to lie or try to be the bigger person: I want diamonds. Earrings, an anniverary band, a tiny necklace; I won't discrimitate. It could be the size of a grain of sand. I'd rather have no gift at all than something other than jewelry. So now, I've already compromised. Any type of jewelry will suffice. I'm selfish. I want something material. Have I begun to think of what to get my beloved? Of course. Tiffany cufflinks that he will wear once every four years. A new knife for hunting. A P90X. I know diamonds are not in the budget this year, so I've begun mentally preparing myself.

What is a gift we could share together? So I started thinking, what about a new tattoo? I have two compared to Dave's four. It is only fitting that we would mark our 10th anniversary with ink. Who needs diamonds anyway? Marriage is about compromise, right? He is the Miller High Life to my Stella. He is the metal to my country. He is the salty to my sweet. He is the Suburban to my Volvo. He is the intensity to my calm. He is the patience to my instant gratification. He is the History Channel to my E! He is the hunter to my shopper. He is the quiet to my loud. But I'm not convinced a tattoo is the way to go either. I'll put aside the material hype of a 10th wedding anniversary and try to live out my vows on a daily basis.

Here's a shout-out to my husband and parenting partner: THANK YOU!