In the nearly 11 years we were married before you became a mother, I simply knew you as Shannon, and Mother’s Day was a time to buy my mom a card and maybe call her. When you and I met, we hit it off quickly, and got married sooner than many thought was advisable —… (read more)
I never expected all the shouting. For a few reasons, it is very difficult for me to surprise Shannon at gift time. We’re not awash in cash, and she manages our banking and bills, so any purchase I make is instantly visible to her unless I use a credit card. Even then, which is rare,… (read more)
Ah, Father’s Day. Some treat it with disdain, lumping it in with so-called “Hallmark holidays,” those disingenuous occasions foisted upon us by greeting card companies. I can understand how some would feel that way, and in some ways I do, too. We don’t need someone to tell us when to appreciate certain people in our… (read more)
(concluded from Part 2) On my way home, I grew more confident in my prognostication; despite her amazing efforts and great acting, I would be more surprised if my wife didn’t have an ’80’s themed 40th birthday party waiting for me. Another clue worked its way to the forefront of my mind. Earlier in the… (read more)
(continued from Part 1) The biggest clue I had was that each of us had surprised the other on momentous (or not) birthdays in the past. Another was that on Saturday morning, Shannon asked me to load ’80’s tunes onto her iPod, only two weeks after she had asked me to remove them, and didn’t… (read more)