There were four in the bed and the little one said: 9 years

Thursday 17 October 2013

9 years

Today, Chris and I have been together for 3,287 days! Or 9 years, if you prefer.

On this evening, in 2004 he came over to my flat to teach me SPSS (that's statistical analysis software by the way, not an abbreviation for something kinky) and the rest, as they say is history.

A lot of stuff can happen to a person in 9 years, and it turns out, even more stuff can happen to two people. We've lost, and gained family members, we've started and finished university courses, left jobs, got new ones, left those and got new ones again, we've moved house about a trillion times (ok, four and counting), we've made new friends, found new interests, become part of each others' families and even started our own...

First with this furry little monster in 2005:

Then this crazy mutt in 2006:

Then this gorgeous little guy in 2009:

And then this awesome little dude in 2011:

We've had good times and bad. It hasn't all been like a breakfast cereal commercial, or a hallmark card, hell- we don't even celebrate Valentines Day.

Right now we have an entire house to pack into boxes and he's sipping tea and sorting through old bank statements, periodically declaring "Ah, those were the days". So it's safe to say he has the uncanny ability to irritate the hell out of me ;)

But even in our crappiest times, and life really has thrown some shit at us, I've always felt that being together made it that bit less crappy. I've never once doubted that being with Chris makes my life better. Having him makes the good stuff even more awesome, and the bad stuff just that little bit more bearable.

If you find someone who will love you for who you are, who will kiss you for hours, who will dance with you even though they "DO NOT DANCE", who will secretly have a custom Hello Kitty cake covered in glitter, made for your 21st birthday because they know how giddy it will make you, who will introduce you to their entire family just 3 months after you meet, because their Nan has passed away and they want you to be at her funeral, who will encourage you to quit something that is making you miserable and who will share your hopes and dreams for the future, then you should probably hang on to that person.

Later down the line they will be the person who will celebrate your first job with you, even when they're struggling to find one of their own, who be with you throughout 2 labours, without even once slipping into that demented cheerleader role: "Push, push PUUUUUUSH!" Who will lift you off the toilet when you inexplicably find yourself stranded there, and stay with you at the hospital whilst you're admitted for a rare autoimmune condition, and who will hold your hand whilst you sit in a hospital room waiting for your third miscarriage to begin. All the while finding ways to make you laugh, and to know that you're loved.

There are probably not that many men in the world who will give you everything you need. I don't mean everything you want, that would be a disaster. God forbid. I mean, someone who knows you as well as you know yourself, and uses that to your advantage, rather than their own. In 9 years Chris has promised me nothing and given me everything. For that, and for every one of the last 3,287 days I am eternally grateful.