I knew a few things when I met my honey:
- That within a week of meeting him I knew that I met my future husband. (It took him a few years to figure that out though!)
- I would become a golf widow (though I took up golf to avoid that).
- It would be hard to ever stay mad at him because he makes me laugh.
- That I would marry him all over again!
When I met my husband 21 years ago, he looked like this.
Mama C and the Boys noticed on my Instagram account when my husband finally made an appearance on my social media. He’s a bit elusive when it comes to being in front of the camera. See what I mean?
At a photoshoot at the golf clothing apparel company that I started after business school (now defunct).
The photos I have of him before I started taking photos of him revolve around golf. He practiced 18 hours a day during the summers because it was just fun for him.
He started playing golf at around age 9 and never looked back.
High school golf yearbook photos.
But what else makes him happy besides an eagle or a hole in one? I thought I’d ponder that list in honor of our 19th anniversary.
19 Things That Make My Husband Happy
1. When the bed is made.
2. When anyone notices a small detail in our house that he agonized over like a drawer pull, the hinge on the door, or the molding around the windows.
3. When the house is clean.
The night he proposed. We are at a bar in Carmel called Sadies on New Year’s Eve. After midnight, we walk on Carmel beach and onto the 10th green at Pebble Beach which is accessible off the beach. It’s the not the famous hole which makes PickyKidPix think it could have been a better moment.
4. When UCLA beats USC (or when anyone beats USC’s football team).
5. When FC Barça beats Réal Madrid (or when anyone beats Réal Madrid).
We’re engaged!
6. A hot bowl of pho, even on a hot day.
7. The dive Brazilian buffet restaurant near our house especially on Fridays, fish stew day!
8. Houseplants.
Our first ratty apartment in West Los Angeles.
9. When the temperature is above 60 degrees.
10. That his work attire is now work boots and paint encrusted hoodies.
11. Discovering new country rock bands that can actually carry a tune like The Avett Brothers.
12. When he gets home and there’s a nice hot dinner waiting for him.
13. When the kids actually do the thing he asks them to do without repeating himself over and over again.
14. When he hits the exact golf shot he’s going for. It’s not necessarily making a birdie or eagle but hitting that difficult shot.
15. When UCLA has a great basketball team. (His alma mater; they won the NCAA championship in 1993, the year we met.)
His bachelor posse.
16. When his kids display their good manners to adults thus dispelling the fear that people will think they were raised by wolves (because he thinks I was raised by wolves).
17. Bud Lite in a can. Yes, he’s had scores of other beers but he just prefers Bud Lite in a can and he’s not afraid to say it.
Meeting my mother.
18. Waking up each morning, thus cheating death for one more day.
19. Being married to me! Happy Anniversary honey!
19 years and 3 kids! Who would have thunk?
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Great post!! Happy Anniversary and here is to many more happy years together. Thanks for sharing your anniversary with all of your readers, I especially loved looking at the photos.
Thanks so much Alex! My husband found the photos on my iPhone a few weeks before the post and asked why the heck I had so many old photos of him (he never looks at my photos!) and I had to tell him that it was a surprise.
Mia, this is so sweet and touching!
Great post!
Melissa-
Thanks so much Melissa! I’m so glad you liked it! It amused my husband as well! 🙂
What a wonderful post, Your husband is lucky to have you!
Thanks so much Barbara! I’ll tell him that you said that :)!
Happy Anniversary and many more to you!
Thank you so much Maria!
I would marry you all over again too!!! Love you more than words can say. Happy Anniversay!
I love you too honey!! Happy anniversary!
Happy anniversary, Mia, to you and your husband and many more anniversaries to celebrate. I like your photo after point 13.
Thanks so much Giora!
Thanks so much Giora! We were at a friend’s wedding.
Happy 19th annivesary. You are both so lucky — sounds like you balance each other. You have your own interests and come back to celebrate them together with each other. Love the family photo.
I have two grandsons playing golf for Ohio State University.
Thanks so much Patricia. How do your grandsons like playing for Ohio State? How wonderful that they are able to play together!
Happy Anniversary!!! Looks like you married a pretty awesome guy 🙂
Hi MaryAnne,
Thank you so much! I’ll tell him that you said that! It will make him happy!
Happy Anniversary! I like your list! 😀
Thanks so much Erik!!!
Look at that back swing!
He sounds like a great guy and love all the pictures!
BTW, I knew right away too 🙂
Thanks so much Ann! He can’t do that back swing anymore; it takes a very flexible back LOL! I am glad that we both believe in love at first sight. It’s really magical!
Happy anniversary! Love those pictures.
Thanks so much iGameMom!