so as of today, i have been married for exactly two years.  i have been "with" my wife for three and we have had a beautiful son for one.  i thought that it would be a good idea to give a state of the marital union address.

i would say that the state of the union is fantastic.  we're a very low-key couple.  there isn't a lot of stress and most of the little stress there is stems from readily identifiable sources like "the hobo stand."  now, allow me to bring you up to date on what exactly a "hobo stand" is.  you have probably seen the movie "the incredibles."   if you haven't, drop what you're doing and go check it out.  it's amazing.  in it, there is a character named edna mode.  she refers to mr. incredible's original costume as "ah yes, the hobo clothes."  my beloved and i have a bit of a ritual where we dump clothes that are capable of being re-worn without washing onto a cedar chest near the foot of the bed.  it was, in our house, the original hobo stand.  our hoboness eventually spread to the entry hall where we have a small stand on which we keep the dog leash, keys, wallets, etc.  when my keys and phone migrated to the television, it was a new hobo outpost.  my books have since colonized an end table along with several cables and my ipod accessories to create the hobo table.  when the house reaches a critical mass of clutter and disarray, we wonder aloud where the barrels and bindles are now that we live in a train yard or "hobo zone."  and then, like a strange biological clock, once a month my wife goes insane and sends two or three bags off to charity so that the balance can be restored.  we are in an endless struggle against the hobo. however, the hoboness isn't all that bad, really.

most days we are much like we are in our discussions here.  there are a pile of jokes that seem to run forever.  we have deep interests in the same things and we are generally supportive of one another in those areas where we press on alone.  she's very good about my time in the studio and i try to keep my mockery to a minimum when it comes to the detailed research projects she takes on with regularity.  i really am amazed at how much she can learn about a subject with very little time.  the action plans are the best.  i do enjoy seeing theory go practical and we get that a lot around our place.  our next set of projects, for those keeping track, include the winter garden, the great cloth diaper experiment of '08 and backpacking with a little dude.

speaking of the dude...

of course we have added the dude to our menagerie.  he has brought a whole new level to everything we do.  i really understand teamwork now.  i have participated in large, carefully organized events that involve team members all over the world.  i have also done search and rescue work with self-organizing groups.  yet i have never participated in anything quite like a blow-out diaper in a public (family!) restroom and the unity that it creates between two people who desperately do not want to be covered in feces.  from bathing, to meals, to diapers and learning to get around we have become a team that works less on words than thoughts.  i wish i had a dime for every time we said the same thing at the same time.  and yeah, i'd like to have her out of my head once in a while.  it's a little creepy.  for the record: adding the dude to our family was the best decision we've made together to date.  every day is new with him around.

what's next?  i have no idea.  i do know that it keeps getting better and i'm happier now than i have ever been.  i love this woman more than i could imagine was possible a few years ago.  here's hoping it only goes up.  i love you punkin!  happy anniversary!