What Do You Get Your Spouse For a Big Anniversary?

I'm usually really good with dates. No, not the fruit variety, I'm talking about dates on a calendar.

And for the first time in my life, I woke up and forgot for a split-second what today's date was. You see, today is the lovely Ms. Alli and myself's 15th wedding anniversary.

For starters, because I'm filling in for the Michael.Scott midday radio show, I got to actually sleep in till a real-late-for-me 6:30am. The biggest plus to that is that I got to rise, shine and see my bride's "awake" face on our anniversary.

But again, for a split second I forgot what today was! She wished me happy anniversary and for the first time in my life, I was flabbergasted at myself for momentarily not remembering what the day was!

To top it all off, I didn't get her a thing.

Hang tight. Before you get to thinking I'm a real ding-dong of a husband, she didn't get me anything either. We agreed to this weeks ago because we have a major expense coming up -- a brand new home.

To be honest, it's actually our dream home. And to be even more honest, she's the reason for it.

She's the hardest working person I know. She's also extremely dedicated and amazingly driven. She also has the honor of changing lives in her line of work and that is pretty cool to me.

Fifteen years ago we walked the aisle of St. Edmond Catholic Church here in Lafayette amongst many family and friends. (I cried the whole time. I'm kind of a softy. I may be crying while I write this narrative.)

When I saw her for the first time, she was, to that point in my life, the most beautiful bride I had ever seen. No one has topped her since.

The reception was a party for all ages and even though we were showered with gifts, we didn't need a one of them because we had our loved ones there.

We sometimes reminisce about how much fun that party was, but it was also a blur, so we want to throw another shindig one of these big anniversaries soon.

It looks like it'll have to wait until at least year 20. At that's fine with us. Even though it's nice to give and receive presents, again, it's more important to have the people you love in your life.

And I have that.

I sometimes cringe when I read anniversary posts on Facebook from one spouse to another because seemingly every time there is a reference that the couple "had our good times and bad times, but through it all we made it through".

I get it, life throws crap our way and if it doesn't break us, we survive. That's everyone though.

I want to celebrate all the great times we've had. Like that one time we were aimlessly driving on a Saturday afternoon when were first married and said to each other, "hey, wanna go to New Orleans for the weekend?"

Or that time we said, "ok, let's have a baby"! That one worked out pretty good!

We've gotten to do so many fun and amazing things over these last 15 years. The only thing I would want to change is the pace of it all. It doesn't seem like it's been that long.

Over the last few years, I've really noticed how short life is. I hope and pray that Alli, myself and our son have many years left together...at a nice leisure pace. It's the best present I could ever ask for, and more importantly, give.

I love you Allison. Happy Anniversary! I look forward to not opening any presents with you today but instead enjoying all our gifts.