This was intended to be published on October 3, our actual anniversary. A combination of a lack of Internet access and foresight prevented that from happening, so here it is, a little late.

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I, Kathleen, take you, David, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward; I promise to nudge you in the morning when your alarm goes off the first time, as well as when it goes off the thirtieth time, and I’ll only give you a little bit of a hard time about it. I promise to forcibly get you out of bed, if needed, so that you won’t be late for work, because I know that even though you may seem upset about it at the time, you will thank me for it later.

I vow to never sneak any onions into anything I cook, thinking that you won’t notice. Moreover, I vow to order my meals without onions if we’re out at a restaurant and I’m getting something you might want to try. I vow to do the laundry, the ironing, and to always put a new bag in the trash can, because I know how you hate those chores. And I vow to always thank you when you take the trash out, do the dishes, or clean your side of the bathroom.

I solemnly swear to stop what I’m doing when you come home from work and give you the attention that you deserve, because you are more important to me than any book, chore, website, or TV show. I swear to never hang up the phone, leave the house, or get on a plane without telling you I love you first. I swear to put my head on your shoulder while we’re listening to the sermon during church. I swear to hold your hand or your arm while we’re walking in public. I swear to put my arm around you in bed every night, but I also swear that I won’t get my feelings hurt when you tell me you’re too hot for that.

I vow to listen when you’re talking, and to make every attempt to be interested in politics, your latest true crime book, or whatever sports team you’re currently obsessed with, and, failing that, I will at least pretend to be. I vow to give you proper praise when you save us ten dollars by using the CVS cash you’ve earned. I vow to tell you as often as possible what an amazing man I think you are, and that out of the six billion people in the world, you’re my favorite one.

Above all else, I promise to always stick up for you, to fight for you, to go to bed and wake up next to you, to put your interests above my own, and to ask for forgiveness when I don’t. I promise to do my best to make this marriage the best part of our lives, and I promise I will be there for you for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.

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This post inspired by Holly at Nothing But Bonfires, for whom I have an unrequited blog love.