Happy Valentine’s Day!

[zcat_abroad]

zcatcurious and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary two days ago. He wrote some very nice things about me, and I had a great post worked out, but not typed up. And it never got written, because I was up to 3:30 am that morning trying to write something worth sending to my supervisor.

Valentine’s Day has become more and more commercialised in the last few years. I think we did very well by having our wedding two days earlier. It means we can make the most of the special offers, while claiming we are not buying into the marketing traps! However, I can use it to reflect on the past, and love, and other soppy stuff.

I spent two and a half hours on our anniversary with my supervisor, then found that zcatcurious had spent that time hunting down a present for me – a beautiful wooden box, with two gorgeous candle-sticks. I must rearrange some of my stuff, to show these off to full advantage. We had a nice (but early) dinner out, and then were home in time to watch House.

My first memory of zcatcurious is sitting in Albert Park, in autumn, with the trees in beautiful colours, and the sky that autumn blue, discussing the magazine that EU was going to put out. I was quite keen on the idea of a magazine, but more keen on this gorgeous guy sitting opposite. I found out later (from page_one, I think) that he was already taken, and I tried to forget about him that way, which I succeeded at for a while.

We were friends for two years, while I went out with someone else, and then he broke up with his girlfriend, and I broke up with my long-distance boy-friend. And we were hanging out with the same friends, and going to the movies together with the gang and sitting side-by-side, and holding hands. Dangerous stuff!

I realised things were reasonably serious when he drove out to where I worked on the weekend to see if I would come out that Saturday evening. It was a 30-odd km drive, and I’m pretty sure he had my phone number – he certainly could have gotten it from someone. When I turned around at work and saw him standing there, my heart gave the most enormous thump! and I couldn’t stop shaking. I did warn you it was soppy, right?

So anyway, we started going out in May 1998, and I thought then that we would either break up in flames within a couple of weeks, or last forever. We survived the first 2 weeks, then 2 months, and then, when we had been going out for 3 months, he asked me to marry him. So now, almost 10 years later, we seem to be doing well for the ‘forever’ option!

I was listening to Shania Twain (yes, yes, okay, but it’s one of the few cheery albums I have!) on Tuesday. We had meant to have “From This Moment” playing while we signed the register, but had left the CD behind, and so had the Corrs “Runaway” – thankfully for our relationship with whitsunday who threatened to disown us if we played Shania! Anyway, what I was saying – the lyrics to “You’re Still the One” seemed to be quite appropriate: “Looks like we made it.... they said ‘i’ll bet they’ll never make it’....we’re still together, still going strong”.

Together, zcatcurious and I have been to Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, and most importantly, China. We have each gained a Masters, and are both now working on our PhDs. I blame him entirely for my now having an ambition towards academia. I had never thought of further study until I saw how much fun he had at his Masters.

He has supported and encouraged me in so many ways. He is my everything.

And, yes, that’s asking a lot of him, but it works for us. We have noticed that other people have different relationships from us, and I know we spend a huge amount of time together, but there is no-one else in the world for me. Check in again in 50 years time, and see us still going strong.

Here’s to LOVE, and may you all have a great day!