The one where I get very emotional about MARRIAGE and the Graeme

This year, Graeme and I will celebrate our 7th year together and also our 4th wedding anniversary. Seven years is a very long time to be with someone - considering that this is the longest that either of us has been with the same person for. We've made mistakes, disagreed and had our share of going to bed angry. Marriage is wonderful but man alive its not easy. I can think of moments when I honestly didn't know if we'd make it. When I didn't know if we were strong enough. If we had enough 'fight' left in us. 

I have yet to meet a couple that hasn't made mistakes in their relationship. In parenting. In business. In friendship. For Grays and I - we do all of these things together as a team, and we've made many mistakes. Each time that we pushed through the hard bits, we came out feeling stronger and more in love than before. 

"The key to a successful marriage is falling in love several times, always with the same person." - Unknown. 

I can tell you that I've disappointed my husband, friend, co-parent and business partner. He has disappointed me. One thing is true: No matter how hard the times were, I would rather be with Graeme than any person that I've ever met and I absolutely can't live, function or be as happy as I am without him. He means everything to me. He is so good to me, so kind, generous and understanding. So funny, interesting, witty and actually hilarious. A fun but firm parent, a loyal friend - he is everything. He makes sense when I fall apart. He loves me when I don't deserve it. He doesn't judge people, he is warm, he is HOT (sexiest man evarrr) and those steamy green eyes can literally melt the socks off of you (ooh la-la - sorry boys). He is talented, successful and so masculine. His head is also about the size of a small planet while reading this. (PS I expect flowers upon your return. Champagne optional.)

"Couples that play together, stay together" - Unknown (see also: too lazy to look it up) This is very true.

Graeme and I play. We give each other dead legs. I trip him when he least expects it. He smacks my bum really hard and then I chase him all around the house. We call each other names. I tell him how big his nose is (really - its huge) and we laugh at each other all the time. We solve problems by playing ching-chong-cha (I always win, obviously) and he teases me about not knowing anything about the world and verbally abuses me while playing 30 seconds. ITS NOT MY FAULT I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING. But man, we laugh. We fight. We scream. We play. We're a TEAM. I run to him first with gossip, we keep all our little secrets and act like teenagers sometimes, we really do. He is such fun to be with.

We are closer to imperfect than perfect - closer to happy than sad and closer to love than not, and that's pretty good enough for me. In fact, its everything I never knew I always wanted. Blissfully inscrutable.

I'm still getting to know this guy. I don't know if I'll ever understand him. As soon as I think I have him figured out, he changes everything. He's like that. He's the guy that lets me hide under a duvet during suicide hour because "I just can't watch Spider-Man or pack a lunch box tonight, I CAN'T. " (Like last night: thank you)

So this year, I am taking that gorgeous husband of mine to The Last Word in Constantia. We're taking two days off work, calling in the backup (Granny Annie and Gaga, this means you) and spending two days and one night doing the Constantia Wine Route, taking a gourmet picnic in to the woods, relaxing in our private pool on our private patio, drinking ALL the wine and eating ALL the oysters. Here are a few pictures of The Last Word. I'm so excited my heart is pumping red rose petals here guys. 

Graeme: You drive me completely batty sometimes - the TV is *always* too loud, you never pick your socks up, you smell urrrrgh when you get home from boxing - you're always forgetting things and you're a grumpy young man sometimes, but baby: You still make my heart stop like a giddy mess when you pull me in to your arms, and I will love you forever. I promise. Here's to us, and getting old and crazy together, one day at a time. I love you so much.