"Hey! Do you know what day it is?" my husband, Warren, asked as we were getting ready for bed.

I looked over at the pile of socks on his side of the bed "Laundry Day?"

"No!" he said, "It's our wedding anniversary!"
"Oh honey" I replied, kissing his cheek "Thank you so much for six of the best years of my life."

He looked a little confused. "But, we've been married for 25."
I just smiled and said, "I know."

As I reached over to turn out the light, I started thinking about the evolution of our marriage and how the decades have affected my husband.

We met and married when Warren was in his 20's. This was the decade b.c. (before children). We were alone and could do what we liked, whenever we liked and liked it.

During this time, Warren remembered things. Like, how to take out the garbage and that ice trays should be full, not empty. We both worked, and we both shared the household duties. I was in charge of the laundry. He sorted the socks. Things were good.

In his 30's, things changed. And changed. And changed. Diapers are like that in the a.c. (after children) years. It was during this time, that Warren turned briefly metaphysical.

"Never take out the trash until it becomes one with the fruit flies."

"Ice trays have a yin and yang, are they half full or half empty?"

I was still in charge of the laundry, but the meaning of sock sorting changed... "Honey, don't you want to come upstairs and sort my socks?"

And that's how Warren became the father of three. Had a vasectomy. Became the father of four. Had another vasectomy. Then bragged to all his friends that he was just too much of a manly man to let a little surgery stand in the way of his procreation! When his friends asked, "What's it like having two vasectomies?" He just laughed and said, "Well, after the first one it was okay. But, after the second one... well... I don't know. Every once in a while, after sock sorting, I have this incredible urge to blow my nose."

When Warren reached his 40's everything started to fall apart. The ice trays were leaky, the garbage can collapsed and the washer ate most of his socks!

It was during this time that Warren developed his handyman skills. He'd take bits and pieces of things that didn't work and put them together with bits and pieces of other things that didn't work and make a whole new thing that didn't work. Life was like a roll of duct tape. You never knew where you'd need it next!

And now, the 50's are upon us. Warren recently discovered that he's on the AARP mailing list. Which, of course, makes him think he's old. Too old to take out the garbage, too rickety to fill the ice trays and almost too creaky to sort socks. And lately, he seems to be suffering from short term memory loss.

The other night after a bit of sock drawer reorganization I asked him "Honey, was it good for you?"
He stared at me for a while and finally said, "Was what good?"

I'm not sure what the next 25 years will bring. It certainly won't be boring. I just hope we're able to remember it!

Kate Taylor
Snickerdoodles
Weekly Syndicated Humor Columnist
Snickerdoodles -http://www.kathrynrosetaylor.com
" Guaranteed to Make Your Doodle Snicker!" ~ ºÜº ~