he cut them
i sanded
and together we
made the youngest
a gift

they made it
together
which makes
it better

he told them
all about the vehicles
that they use in Iraq.

one of my birthday presents
was a new fan-light
for our downstairs bathroom.
part of the gift was
that he would install it,
and so monday he did.
but it was a bigger pain
than originally he thought
and we also found out why
the old one never worked
(the installer drilled a screw
right through the motor.)
but this one?
i love the way it looks.

my birthday was
the next day
so he took them
shopping to
pick out gifts.

i love it when
he cooks
his meals
are fun
and not lame
like mine.

we were given
the opportunity to
go to a marriage retreat
to learn to better
communicate.
an entire weekend just
with each other
it was great.

we went to see
the phantom of the opera
and since it was
veteran’s day
he dressed up
and so did i.