It Takes Real Lovers to Be Silly

 

Five years and one day ago at this very moment, we had just waved goodbye to all our family and friends gathered at our wedding reception.  We walked out into the city street, husband and wife hand in hand, so full of love and joy, laughing and waving at all the cars honking at the bride and groom.

About a block away from the reception, we run into Ryan's grandpa.  He turns around and walks the next two blocks to the hotel with us.  We make awkward chitchat while waiting for the elevator.  Two arrive at the same time.  Ryan and I get in one, and Jack decides to get in the other.

A moment later, we all three get out on the same floor, and have to cross each other to get to our respective rooms.

Thinking we were home free, Ryan opens the door to our hotel room and offers his hand with a flourish. I step daintily over the threshold to behold a man with a bad case of plumber's crack lighting candles in our room.

The poor man is just lighting the last candle.  He smiles sheepishly and drawls, "Well, have a good night!" as he hurries out the door.  We hold in our laughter until we have the door safely shut behind us.

***

One day ago at this very moment, our next door neighbor was having a smoke out on his back porch watching the snow fall.  Ryan and I broke that peaceful moment on this beautiful St. Valentine's evening by shooting off his BB gun several times.  He fired, I held the flashlight.

"What in the world are you two doing?"

I answer airly, "Oh, just enjoying a romantic evening shooting rats in a bucket."

Ryan continues, "Yeah, they've been getting in the chicken coop, so we put a bucket of water under the hole they jump out of then scared them out.  All three of them plopped right in the bucket!  One was able to jump out but I shot the other two dead!  Sorry it took a few shots to finish them."

Our neighbor is laughing by now.  He's used to our looniness, and very fortunately for us, finds it entertaining rather than obnoxious.  "Happy Valentine's Day, Matt!"  I head back to the house to get some gloves and plastic bags for Ryan to dispose of the corpses.  Ryan follows me inside. We hold in our laughter until we are safely in the kitchen.  Then he kisses me and goes to deal with those dead rats.

***

These don't sound like very romantic evenings, but his good humor is one of the best things I love about my husband.  He can see a joke, especially when we are the butt of it!  We will never run out of jokes on us!  We've had the gift of laughter in our marriage from the very beginning.  Going through our wedding photos, so many of them are of us or our families and friends just laughing together.  Here's to five years of love and laughter, and maybe fifty more!

 

*All photos were taken by Tim Willoughby.