On Wednesday, John and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and the eighth anniversary of our first date.  And Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of this blog ~ begun as a cooking blog, as I figured out my way around a kitchen, and then becoming something else entirely.  Later this month, we’ll celebrate John’s birthday, which also serves as the year mark of my little brother meeting his lady-love, Joanna.  And in September, Joanna will move to Austin and they will begin a joint life.  Everyone, hold your breath ;).

I’m a big birthday and anniversary person.  I believe in celebrating people, not only for who they are, but for what they’ve been dedicated to.  Today serves as the last day of work for a man who pre-dates me at our company.  I think ~ besides my boss ~ he’s the only one left who ranks above me for longevity.  Over six and a half years, and now he’s moving on, to do something different.  To learn from someone  new.  My heart broke a little when I hugged him goodbye ~ sweaty and hot from moving offices (again.  for the seventh time).  I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye.  I was sad that we weren’t doing something more to thank him for the years he’s worked with us.  But my boss (the owner) doesn’t really believe in anniversaries, or acknowledging people’s time with the company.  I hit year after year in January, and he’s never once given any indication of knowing that it’s my anniversary.

I think it’s important to celebrate people.  To say thank you for your time.  Thank you for your existence.  Thank you for your dedication, your loyalty.  I think it encourages people, makes them feel appreciated.  I love celebrating things with my hubs because I like knowing that after all this time, after all these shared memories and our joint lives, we still laugh together, our eyes still sparkle when they meet, we still turn to each other when things get tough.  We know each other better, we understand each other’s ebbs and flows.  It’s a good thing ~ that one day we will have shared more time than spent it apart.

It’s already hard to get through the day, to keep your head up when one thing after another comes crashing in after you.  Saying thank you, for your time, for your spirit, for your thoughts and contributions ~ it’s a big deal.

I’m sad that Haronn is leaving us.  I’m sad that he won’t be opening dough or garnishing pizzas the next time I rush through the restaurant. He won’t be there to harass me about something or give me a message for my husband about football.

I wish him all the luck in the world.  And a small part of my heart is deflated, knowing that soon, other people will know that he loves the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre; that he doesn’t allow his children to believe in Santa because he works hard and they should know that he got them their gifts, not some bearded man in a red suit.

I’m sad that life is moving on, and changing, and no one asked if I was okay with it.