yesterday was lauren's birthday. it is, at this point, cliché for me to tell you that marrying her was an unbelievable stroke of luck, that i would make the decision to offer her the rest of my life in exchange for whatever of her time i can have over and over again. but i do think, having spent a lot of time lately absorbing front-facing video content from women who are married to (sorry,) men, watching them negotiate with themselves and each other about what they deserve, what they can demand, what they can tolerate, that it is worth offering a counter. that you should know that the person who makes dinner while i put the big kid to bed is also one of the smartest people i know, and so while i am curled up in a twin size bed with a four year old and his assortment of stuffed animals, listening to the sounds of cooking downstairs, i am anticipating not only a warm meal but her thoughts and opinions, which i will, after more than ten years together, simply never predict in their entirety.












