Today marks the eight year anniversary of wedding my beloved bride, Melissa. Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be one of those posts where people say everything has been amazing and I’m so lucky and life is perfect. The truth is, marriage is hard work and it’s been far from a walk in the park over the years. We’ve had our ups and downs, but I’m happy to say we’ve had far more ups than we’ve had downs… especially recently. In the last year or two, I think we’ve gotten to a point where we really understand one another; a pivotal aspect of being with someone every day of your life.

I can honestly say that not only is our marriage the best it’s ever been, our relationship is the strongest it’s been in our 12.5 years together. The proof? This is the first time I’ve ever acknowledged an anniversary on this blog. Okay, so it’s not exactly a litmus test for marriage, but I do think it represents an evolution of my thoughts on it. What are the keys, you say? I’m certainly no expert, but I’d say three things: Communication, Trust, Commitment. I’m not sure an explanation of each is necessary. What they mean to your spouse is how they’ll best work for you. They work for us.

A lot has happened in the last eight years. There have been a ton of marriages, the birth of my nieces, more friends’ babies than I can count, the loss of three grandmothers, I got a graduate degree, we visited 17 (?) countries and a handful of divorces. The only constant is change and everything that’s happened is proof of that. We’ve changed too, but we’ve changed for the better.

Happy Anniversary Dear!

I’m looking forward to celebrating with you during our trip to Vegas. Can you believe it’s going to be our fourth time?

Damn, this year went fast. I’m guessing getting laid off, finding a new fast paced job, going through months of physical therapy and spending three weeks in Europe all contributed. Looking back, I’d say the defining moment of the year was losing my job at AOL. It really did a lot to frame my thinking about life, what we’ve come to expect and how to focus on the things that are the reason we live our lives. Regardless of what happens, the world will continue to spin around the sun so you shouldn’t dwell on the things you can’t control.

Here are some of the highlights from the year:

• Opportunity – The day I got laid off.
• Can You Hear Me? – This blog is reopened to the public (with a redesign and WordPress backend) after I get a new job.
• Unemployment – My thoughts on unemployment, written 3 months later.
• Summertime – One giant middle of the year “here’s what’s happening” update.
• European Vacation Map – We backpacked in France and Belgium.
• Five Days a Week – I start exercising… well, you get it.
• The Lloyd Sisters – My sister starts blogging in January, after we gave them a turnkey blog for Christmas.

I’m curious about what 2011 will bring. I’m always looking for the next big thing, but I can honestly say this is a year where I might tone it down a notch. Melissa will be busy, since she just got into grad school, so I’m thinking I’ll just keep myself busy with video games, (hopefully) reading , and this…

Happy New Year Everyone!