10 Years

Magnolia, originally uploaded by Kristianna.

Last week my husband and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. We were married on possibly the hottest, most humid day in the history of the earth in the chapel at the University of Virginia, where we both went to school and met. July in Charlottesville is uncomfortable on the whole.

But there are magnolias in the summer. In my mind's eye, I wanted to walk the aisle with just one magnolia as my bouquet. However, the timing was not quite right for us to find one (Paul tried that morning--they were all either closed or out of reach.) So, I went with my backup plan, red roses, which I loved, too. They were bright, happy, and at that time, unexpected.

To celebrate our tenth, Paul and I walked to a neighborhood restaurant, and on our way home, he snapped two magnolias off a tree a couple of blocks away. They turn brown in only a day or two, but the scent was amazing, and it was a wonderful gift. Maybe I'm too easy to please, but they made my day. I hope, in 20 or 30 more years, we still can have as much fun as that, and as simply.