Dear Bill,

Seventeen years ago today was our wedding day. It was beautiful, fun, silly, eventful, and crazy! We were married in the morning, had lunch with your family, set up for the reception, partied with all our friends and then went back to our hotel room. The one your parents reserved for us. The one that had the twin beds. Yep, remember that? Our honeymoon suite had twin beds. Just what, exactly, was your mother trying to tell us? Oh well, it all worked out in the end, and they weren't even charged for the broken nightstand.

We didn't make plans for today. No special date, dinner, or movie. It was just another day and that's OK. No cards, no gifts, no apologies, and certainly no obligations. Just the way we both like it. At one point I even thought to myself, "nobody besides us even knows today is any different than any other day." Well, my mom did and I was sure our friend Sue would because she remembers all that jazz. I started to get sad that we didn't do something special to commemorate these past 17 years, but then I knew what I always know: it's not necessary. This day is not the day that defines us. It's all the other times that matter most...

• It was last week when we sat in the chapel at the temple waiting for a sealing to start and I felt like I was 18 and holding your hand for the first time.
• It was the baseball game we attended on an hours notice while I was still pregnant with Payton.
• It was the day you sounded unsure of something on the phone and I met you for lunch and we worked everything out.
• It was the text message you sent at just the right time.
• It was the game you muted to find out how mutual went.
• It was the dishes you did because you knew I'd had a long day.
• It was the way you didn't yell at me when I got the car impounded for being stupid.
• It was the back massage that was just a back massage... and the one that wasn't.

But most importantly, it really was today. This day that I inadvertently made fry bread for dinner. Fry bread reminds me of the fair. and last time either of us went to the fair was while we were dating. You didn't even remember. I couldn't remember who we went with. Then the girls started asking questions. "When was your first kiss?" Like I remember!?! But you did. How sweet was that? "What was your first date?" My face still hurts from smiling so much. And then we recalled the World Series that we watched together and the baseball movies that we shared as a common interest.

We abandoned the table and the dishes, got the kids in their jammies and plugged in a VHS tape of Field of Dreams. I couldn't place why we both liked this movie so much until tonight. That couple is so us. They are nuts and they joke around and poke fun at each other. They get each other and so do we. Even better, Kyra gets it. She sat in the chair tonight giggling when she knew what was going to happen. I've caught her giggling at us as I call you a jerk and you demand something from your woman. I've found myself telling her quite often lately that her parents are nuts. Again, she giggles and tells me that she knows. I believe she likes that about us and so do I. Thanks for not taking life too seriously, it would really be a drag.

I don't remember when I changed from saying, "love you" to "love us". It was probably shortly after I responded to your "I love you" with a resounding, "shut up!" Anyway, Happy Anniversary Babe. Seventeen years and counting. We should throw a party at 20!

Love us,

H