When someone says, "gimme a dozen..." usually they are referring to eggs or donuts or roses, things that you desire a lot of. When referring to stuff, having a dozen of something implies that you have a lot of it. If I were to have a dozen pairs of jeans that might be considered a large quantity of jeans for one person, I however believe that you can never have too many pairs of jeans-- but I have an obsession with denim. A dozen kids however would be an extraordinary number of children, excessive and weird even, to most humans. My point is that a dozen of something is usually perceived as a lot. Yesterday Joe and I celebrated a dozen years of marriage, that's a lot of marriage. It's 114 months of marriage, 4,745 days of marriage, we've been married for 113,880 hours--it's a lot of I love you's and I forgive you's

It seems like a lot of years when you pull back and break it down, but in real time it has been fleeting, and as I pull out my magnifying glass and study the details each of those years holds, my mind is blown by it all. All the unplanned events including our 4 children, 2 moves across country, countless hours in the emergency room and sitting next to hospital beds, graduate school, bad haircuts (given and received), gaining and losing close friends, gaining and losing weight, and finding that together we can do anything.

This journey of a dozen years has held countless tears and overwhelming sorrow but at the same time countless hugs, kisses and overwhelming love. The man I married 12 years ago yesterday is still my very best friend and the one I long to be with every day that God will allow. He still makes me laugh harder than anyone ever could and is stronger than anyone I know. He saved me from myself and showed me who God is. Loves me and lifts me daily, is forever my shoulder to cry on, indulges my Dave Matthews obsession and my love of denim.

So today as we enter our 13th year of marriage and the beginning of yet another chapter of unpredictability I say "gimme a dozen . . . again"!