August 17

It was a lovely day. I began with school drop-offs, moved on to back-to-back coffee dates with two great friends, received some beautiful flowers (and a balloon!) from my 'secret admirer' (which is a long-standing joke), and picked up kids from school. Then in the evening, we celebrated our 15th anniversary in style by attending the boys' Back to School Night. (We know how to live it up.)

That was, of course, only part of the celebration: we also went to dinner afterward at Haps, which is a nice local restaurant. I had some perfectly cooked prime rib and some great conversation with my hunny.

It would be easy to conclude with a pat "it was a good day" and I started to do just that, but I want to add something else. For numerous reasons, I don't easily accept love from other people. And I definitely don't let many people get particularly close -- and definitely not close enough to hurt me. But despite those truths, my hunny has stuck with me, enriched my life, and loved me --through all of our trials and challenges and heartbreak-- for nearly 20 years. And for that blessing --that incredible, amazing blessing-- I'm deeply thankful.