28 years

(throwing a football...this was the 3rd day we hung out...we had already kissed)

Dear Babe,

Happy Birthday today. You're 28. And I am missing you because you're away on business. I bet you will laugh at the quality of the picture. Truth be told, you've shown me a hundred times how to scan a photo. But those details bore me, I never really listen...and let's be honest, I'm a little helpless in the technology department without you. So I took a photo, of a photo. yeah.

This morning I woke up thinking about kissing.
(it's your birthday, I thought you'd like that)

And I just want to thank you for kissing me the very first time we hung out. We were 16. I knew you were going to try...even though we'd only just met. I thought you really really liked me. I didn't know you were a player. It was still amazing.

Remember how I once asked you to tell me about all the girls you'd kissed (although, lets be honest here...it was a lot more than kissing). I had to beg actually. You didn't want to. It took a few days. Finally, you caved to my pressure. And once we got to girl # 30, I didn't want to hear any more. Then you asked me how many boys I'd kissed. I was SUPER embarrassed to admit it after your lengthy list...."ummm, well...just you". After your initial pride, you were kind of embarrassed too.

I also want to thank you for sticking around after I sat you down and gave you a 'For the Strength of Youth' pamphlet. You know, the one that uses words like "petting", and "groping", and "sexual purity". And then I told you that I wouldn't be doing much more than kissing you. When you left that night, you didn't plan on calling me again. I'm glad you did.

I like that our lives changed together. You got baptised, I went to college, you went on a mission...we both matured, a lot. I like that we have documentation of the immaturity though. We have a ridiculous amount of kissing pictures. Kissing at 16, 17, 18, 19 (skip a few years for the mish) 21, 22 and on it goes.

A couple nights ago, we were just laying around in bed, I was staring at the ceiling deep in thought, and you asked me if I would marry you all over again. I took it as one of those rhetorical questions and I answered simply, "of course I would". And then I asked you the same question, and I turned to look at you. Your head was propped up on your hand and you had tears in your eyes... you answered me with a kiss.

I wish I knew what thoughts brought the tears, but maybe you were thinking about your upcoming birthday, and the passing of time, and it was just a big mash of all the beautiful memories of life together. I like that we can celebrate all of it with a kiss.

We need to take another kissing picture. It's been a while...I hope we never get too mature for that.

See you tonight,
Tara