Number 10: Happy Anniversary

Today is a milestone for me and my wife. We've hit 10 years of marriage and life has only gotten better since the day we tied the knot.

I don't have a lot of wisdom to share on what makes a 10 year marriage great, but below are three big items (among many others) I think that have made our marriage a huge success. Hopefully, she doesn't disagree.

1. We've have always shared the same core values in morals and religion.
   
2. We've never struggled with money. From day one, being debt free was important to us.
   
3. We've always valued family, especially each others.

We were able to start out of the gate doing all three of these things well. It's allowed us to avoid a lot of obstacles we see other couples face.

I love you, dear.

Night Over Water

I'm not going to say much about Ken Follett's Night Over Water, but I did read it while on vacation. I was rather disappointed with the ending. There were entirely too many story lines introduced and the only one that had any real conclusion was the one that seemed least developed.

The book is about several events that come to a head on the ritzy Pan American Clipper flight from Europe to America set in 1939.

I read it, making it my one of the few fiction books I will read this year.

I love cigarette smoke

I know it seems odd to say that I love cigarette smoke but before you become concerned for my health let me explain. Even though I'm not a smoker, I have a lot of cherished memories that are recalled when my nose catches a whiff of tobacco at the right time.

I just spent a week at the beach and on the floor below us at our condo, the guests would light up on the balcony. As I sat outside reading a book and enjoying the view the smell actually took me back to my childhood when we would camp on the beach and ride our bikes through the campground. Others would sit by the fire and smoke and as we passed by, the smell was associated with a fun event.

I also like the smell of tobacco smoke at ball games and county fairs. I still don't care for it at restaurants or other indoor places.