Dana's/Chris's Vows


I’ll start with part of a song I know you love: "I have to speculate that god himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces from the clay."


I didn’t know that song before I met you, but now I know that song is one of the many that, to me, are about you. The day I met you, you tripped over a desk as you walked away from me, and I knew then that I was in trouble, but I didn’t know how much at the time.


The irony of being introduced by probably my least favorite teacher of all time is not lost on me in case you were wondering. I couldn’t stop thinking about you from that minute on, and I haven’t since then. I couldn’t stop when I bought your favorite pie for you and left it in the fridge at work, I couldn’t stop when you were teaching and I was supposed to be taking notes about what you were doing but was distracted by how attracted I was to your teaching ability, to your passion for your students, your easy sense of humor … and I definitely couldn’t stop when I made a bet on a football game I didn’t really care about with you just so I had an excuse to spend time with you.


I remember trying to say my new kitten needed to be socialized too, which was a lie. I have learned that almost nothing in life is easy. There are obstacles even in everyday life. Nothing is easy, but our relationship is. You were the only thing that got me through the hard times and I don’t think anyone but you understands how literally I mean that. You just being next to me, silently or not, was what gave me the strength to keep going.


When I was growing up, all anybody told me was that high school or college would be the best years of my life, and even though I enjoyed those years, they weren’t. The best years of my life have been since the moment I met you, all the time we’ve spent building our family and our lives together. You understand me on a level I never thought anybody would – probably better than I understand myself – and over the years, as I tried to imagine what you’d be like, I’m happy you turned out to be so much more than what I could have ever imagined.


You’re more precious to me than I could put into words, and the strongest part of me comes from you. I like you and I love you. The best day of my life is every day that you’re with me, and even though this day is special, it’s special mainly because I get to be with you. My best friend, my partner, father of my fur children, my husband – I love you.