Warning: cheese ahead. Sentimentality ensues.

The mind tends to wander during the morning commute. This morning it occurred to me that today is June 23rd, so it was exactly one year ago today that I started flying to California every week for my job. It was one of the more miserable work-related experiences of my career – Dave and I had just started dating and I was so happy, and being forced to be gone for 5 out of every 7 days felt like torture. I was so lonely and depressed when I was when I was in California, and I felt like there was this big metaphorical rainbow hanging over Seattle, like, “your happiness lies here! Stick around and see what happens!” The weeks went in slow motion, and the weekends flew by at warp speed. However, my leaving absolutely cemented Dave as the best boyfriend I had ever had, because he was the first guy I had ever dated who volunteered to take care of my cat when I went out of town. Sure, there might have been a boyfriend or two in my past who would have grudgingly checked in on her if I had asked or offered bribes, but Dave welcomed her into his house without my even asking him to do so. And considering what a needy little fusspot my Teenie is, that pretty much sealed him into that “oh my god I can’t believe it he’s the most amazing guy I’ve ever met” category. Which, I’m happy to report, is still the category that he lives in today. I don’t know of anyone else who would get out of bed in the middle of trying to take a nap to go fetch some Thai take-out for me, or who would help me clean just to calm my obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Fast-forward to June 23rd of this year, I have a much better job that allows me to stay in town, and I married that fantastic boyfriend so I get to sleep with him every single night – not just on weekends. I’m happier than I ever thought I could be. This morning I’ve been reading some of those emails that we sent each other when I was traveling last summer (yes, I saved them, what of it?), and it’s made me feel all sentimental and squishy. I can’t wait to get home to give my hubby a big smooch. (Sorry, y’all, I know that was really cheesy.)

And while I’m speaking of my fantastic husband, he has volunteered to work from home today while a contractor is installing new baseboards and crown moulding in our bedroom. Dave and I bought all this stuff to fix up our bedroom when we got our new furniture. We moved things around, painted the walls, tore off the old baseboards… and then we realize that neither one of us can cut the new ones into a 45-degree angle so they’ll line up in the corners. It’s freakin’ impossible. So I called around and found a guy who’ll do it for a surprisingly reasonable hourly rate. In a perfect world, it’ll be done by the time I get home from work today. Here’s hoping.

Oh, but just as an aside? The thought of a man I don’t know spending the better part of a day in my bedroom totally freaks me out. Yeeesh, creepy.