Happy Anniversary, Sweetie

I staggered towards the coffee pot this morning, rumpled, wrinkled, bleary-eyed and old:

Me-“Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart. You know, guys like me never end up with girls like you, because, well, you’re so much more than I could ever hope to be. You’ve been the most important thing in my life, and my reason for living. 

   

  "If I’ve changed for the better, it’s been because of you.    

         " If I’ve grown, it’s because of you. 

                "If I’m a better person, it’s because I’ve tried to be more like you.

“Forty-four years simply isn’t long enough for me, and forty-four more won’t give me enough time to tell you how much I love you, and how precious you are to me.”

Her: “Yep, maybe three of the best years of my life. Don’t forget it’s trash day.”