*Please Note*
As of July 2015 many photos have been intentionally removed.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Top Ten..........From The Past Ten

Kris and I are coming up on our ten year anniversary. How should(do) I mark this event? I could go to the store, spend some money and buy her a gift.
That seems somewhat futile. No gift, no amount of money spent could ever encapsulate what she means to me or how much I value her friendship.
Over the past few days, I've been thinking of how best to tell her that I love her more now then I did ten years ago. From the get go I thought I'd do so via this blog. Given my propensity to forget greeting cards over the years, I thought this could serve as a cheesy attempt to make up for many anniversary cards that never were.
Here are a few moments that took life from the words that got us started ten tears ago.
1. For better or for worse
Kris and I have had plenty of both. I'm not ashamed of the worse. It has served to make for a stronger relationship. At one point, the worse found me coming home from a business trip to find the house empty and Kris gone to the other side of the country. That feeling of complete and total loneliness will never fully leave my mind. The good news is, there is too much "for better" to write about.
The better has taken us on many walks, hand in hand around NYC. It has seen us on impromptu trips to Howe Caverns.
The better brought us to Arizona.
The better gave us LCBC
The better has allowed us to be surrounded with great people in our new home.
2. For rich or poor
I'm not sure we have ever been either. I know we used to have more "extra" money then we do now. I know that we want for nothing on a daily basis. Together, we are being taught what is truly important in life. Together we will struggle, and succeed. Together we will try to teach Aiden what it means to be rich. Should all else rot around me, I will be rich as long as Kris is nearby.
3. In sickness and in health.
When I think sickness, only one story comes to mind. Kris was in the police academy. The academy was housed in an archaic building on NY's lower east side. Sickness and rats both ran rampant in this place. In this environment, the largest police instruction program in the country beats the shit out of you for the better part of a year. At one point Kris was running a fever of 100+, dealing with damaged ligaments in her ankle and fighting off pneumonia and the most ungodly rash you can imagine. Our bathroom and bedroom had a steady odor of ben-gay and was a maze of extension cords for humidifiers and heating pads. She never took a sick day or missed a single minute of instruction, classroom or tactical. It was awesome and frightening to see a person so badly beaten down, yet so insanely strong all at the same time.
This is the girl I love.
Witnessing Kris withstand all that gives me confidence that we are well equipped to handle the hell that a child of mine is likely to unleash upon mankind.
And now for the obligatory modern day slide show.


Ten Years from shamus smith on Vimeo.
I think thank you is in order, more so then happy anniversary.
Thanks Kris, for the past ten years.
Thanks for the next ten.

11 comments:

Jennifer said...

So sweet! Congratulations on ten years together!

Anonymous said...

Sha,
You risen the bar for all men...except maybe for the country song. Happy anniversary.

Tom said...

When does your book come out? You guys have a really wonderful story and you tell it so poignantly. When someone asks what love is I can easily point to your relationship. God bless and happy anniversary!

Anonymous said...

Sha,
I've always known how awesome my big sister was. Over the years, I've seen how you've seen all that "awesomeness" too and you have a phenomenal way of expressing it. Who thought you were such an "emotional" guy!

Kris, you are awesome, in case I haven't told you lately! I love you!

Happy Anniversary!
O&K

Anonymous said...

That "anonymous" was me. Oops!

Karen

Melissa said...

That was GREAT!!
Congratulations on 10 years! Happy Anniversary!

Love,
Melissa (AKA Mel)

Anonymous said...

krissy and sha
first dad and i and the girls wish you a happy anniversary. the two of you are a special couple and two awesome parents. aiden is lucky to have parents as special as you. krissy your love and dedication to aiden even when yo have been up for nites on end you still have love and concern for aiden sha i know you since you were a kid. even when we had talks in the media room at gateway you are a dad who shows so much love to aiden i knew that you guys would be great parents.i wish you much love much happiness muh joy but mostly more happiness with aiden then you can ever dream kids really change your lives and only or the best. i love you guys. mom,dad

Anonymous said...

Mommy and Daddy,
Happy 10th Anniversary. Thanks for having me.
Love, Aiden

Anonymous said...

Happy 10th Anniversary, Shamus and Kris!

We are so thankful to God for the answered prayers of many. We are thankful for his sovereign plan for your lives, which is all good.

We are thankful for you and the beautiful ways you continue to make us part of your family's life.
Thank you for the love, honor , and quality time you give us. Time well wasted!

As you approach each new bend of the road together we are confident that you will continue to grow in love and devotion to each other and to the Lord.

Anonymous said...

okay, so that was 100x better than any anniversary card you could find. i got a little teary, shamus...you have a very sweet and genuine way of letting kris know how much you love her! (i'm going to make sure i show this to phil:) happy 10th you guys. hope you had a chance to celebrate.
jen

~Tara said...

So, so, so love! And congrats on what, almost 12 years now? :)