Three Years of Joy

This is my wife. Her name is Nita, but I call her Tita Bella, Tita, Wife or Weef, depending on the moment.  Those are the bikes we rented in Calistoga for our five hour wine tasting tour to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. We love to ride bikes together. As a matter of fact the very first date we went on was on bikes five years ago right here in Santa Monica and not far from where we live now... some of the most amazing times we have spent together have been on our bikes.  Three years ago we rode our bikes on our honeymoon in Sonoma for five days over mountains and rivers, to the sea, and through the trees and up the hills and down them too. Two years ago we rode our bikes all over Colorado for 543 miles during Ride the Rockies where we rode up mountain passes of 11,500 feet and down them freezing our butts off, sleeping in tents and eating mexican food galore.  We have ridden countless miles together and I am willing to bet the miles would add up to crossing the united states together on two wheels...so as you know, for me, that is a lucky thing since I have ridden my bike almost all my life and to think that I somehow managed to marry a woman who also loves to ride is beyond me.  Today is July 11 or 7-11...the day we were married three years ago in Kauai with all of our close friends and family together in the sand in a circle standing in awe at the love and support all around.  It's wild to think that was already three years ago!  Time has a funny way of just flying by and whenever we have a chance to just ride our bikes together like we did, it brings it all back to a simple moment of existence where two people find each other in this wildly complex and complicated life.

People often ask, "How is married life?", like it's a dangerous way to live or something...i am here to tell you its better than an African Safari.  Better than bacon wrapped dates.  Better than sledding.  Better than the 5th coffee of the day.  Better than wind in your hair. Better than a warm fire on a cold day. Better than brown sugar in oatmeal. Better than shaving your legs and then getting in fresh sheets. Better than Raging Waters. Better than Disneyland. Better than chocolate covered nuts. Better than cheeseburgers. Better than stand up comedy. Better than soap operas. Better than winning the lottery. Better than garlic and butter. Better than jumping rope. Better than being tan. Better than opening night.  Better than a sunrise. Better than a sunset. Better than ice cream.

As of today I have lived for 3 years with my wife, or 36 months, or 168 weeks, or 1095 days, or 26,280 hours, or 630,720 hours...but it seems like only the first bike ride....which to this day seemed like an eternity...I love you wife.