X Stands for XOXOXO

in particular, today, for my husband, on our 8 year anniversary.



and for tashi, who has been along with us the whole time!




here is a little summary of eight married years:

year one:

we packed up our home in oakland, put all our belongings in storage, and went to india for a year. the summer of our first year of marriage was spent in a monsoon.

year two:

we lived in india for most of that year. it was not only an amazing journey, it was a great family experience of adjustment to another culture. the summer before our second anniversary was spent in corvallis, oregon, in back-in-the-u.s.a. culture shock. i worked on a manuscript all summer and gave tarot readings, while dan discovered there were no dotcom jobs to be found, anywhere. 9/11 happened. we bought two used cars and moved our butts across country to two acres and a pond in ann arbor, michigan.

year three:

dan drove a cab and i worked in a food coop. it was a difficult year but we lived in a magical place. after a long time of being away from the great north, we re-acquainted ourselves to snow: shoveling, scraping, warming up the auto, sledding, snowmen, walking on ice, the amazing soft white silence. tashi started preschool.

year four:

we got our cats, loki and luna. well, let me clarify, tashi and i came home from the pumpkin farm with them one day. dan wasn't entirely thrilled, but fell in love with them in about ten minutes. they brought us a great deal of joy and laughter, and added just that much more family to our family. just before our fourth anniversary, tashi started kindergarten.




year five:

dan got a job at a dotcom and stopped driving a cab. he no longer worked when i didn't work, and we could start having dinners together again. we spent our fifth anniversary visiting san francisco, and having a marvelous time with sorely missed friends. we enjoyed britt and adriano's wedding, just a couple of days after our own anniversary.

year six:

some community was finally beginning to gel in ann arbor. we had a couple of blow out parties. we went out dancing late into the night to reggae music, while tashi hung out with yia yia on occasion. tashi made it through her first grade year with tears and laughter and songs. always songs. and just before our sixth anniversary, dan landed a job that merges his passions at the tibetan and himalayan digital library. we moved to charlottesville in a month's notice.

year seven:

blue ridge beauty. temperate winter. winding drives through historic villages. little blue house. blog picks up. we both worked for the same department at uva. lunches together. warm lattes delivered by dan in early morning. tashi very happy with her new found friends. chicken pox on halloween. a summer in cyprus.

year eight:

skipping stones in sugar hollow. swimming in mountain lakes. tashi joins a baseball team and learns to play violin. dan and i no longer work in the same department, but we can meet for lunch on the corner. dan is in rocking band, and i have more time for my own pursuits. we're looking ahead and walking arm-in-arm down a path of dreams made real.

thank you dan, for your patience with me when i am worried, negative and controlling. for your boundless support of my passions. for your steady love and your strong heart. thank you for building such an incredible bond with our daughter, and for being such a dependable co-parent. thank you for being so smart, so funny, and so kind. i can't believe life has rewarded me so.



and thank you tashi, for putting up with two parents who don't often take the easiest road.