Yesterday, Rachel shared our love story leading up to our marriage on December 30, 2000. I surprised her with this summary of our first ten years as husband and wife. I'm looking forward to the next ten years and beyond. - Alex 2001 - We were married at the Art Museum and then moved back to California so I could learn Russian. We watched sea otters on the shore and hiked in the mountains. We adopted a cute little dog named Mica and then moved back to Columbus to finish college.

2002- College continued and we acquired a loud smelly hound named Devie. We lived north of campus and enjoyed the last of our college days even though your schedule was hectic. At the beginning of the summer we picked up and moved to Southeastern Virginia with the two dogs. The mosquitoes were horrendous, and I worked for the Navy while you worked for the Orthodox Jews.

2003- We remained in Virginia and began to not like the place due to the hot summers and destructive hurricanes. However, we remained and enjoyed trips to the Eastern Shore and elsewhere in coastal Virginia. The dogs liked walking on the beach and barking at herons. In the Summer we went to Hawaii where we snorkeled and visited the volcanoes.

2004- We had had our fill of Tidewater and decided to move back. Before we departed, we were sent on a Navy boondoggle back to Hawaii where we once again snorkeled, looked at sea turtles and ate mochi-covered ice cream for the first time. We arrived back in Columbus where I went to work in West Jefferson and you worked for the UU church. The fall was very unpleasant, but we got through it together.

2005- At the beginning of the year, we managed to successfully get you knocked up. At the start of the summer I went back to work for the government while you continued at the church. As the year went by you got bigger and bigger. In the summer we made a new friend when Naoko came to stay with us from Japan. She was a wonderful person and we have stayed in touch ever since. In September, Lillian came into our lives (in a most protracted fashion) and things have never been the same.

2006- I travelled more and more for the government which made our life with the small baby difficult, but we managed. You became less satisfied with your work at the church, but you stayed working for some time. We also began selling surplus military helmets which were a surprising success. Lillian continued to grow...

2007- In the late winter, Kevin and Maureen were married. We appeared in the wedding party and you looked more beautiful than anyone else there. Shortly after, we went to Japan for business and to visit our friends. The helmets continued to sell, and we considered branching into other products such as water bottles. We began our tradition of yearly visits to Massachusetts and enjoyed a summer getaway to SC. In the later summer we moved to our new house on Tibet Rd. By the end of the year Lillian was potty-trained and sleeping in her own bed.

2008- Water bottle sales were in full swing and my job with the government was going well. Lillian would not stop growing. In March there was a blizzard in Columbus in which we enjoyed playing for a number of days. Hawise arrived in the early spring and we again had two dogs. Our vegetable garden was beautiful and we made many plans to expand it. By the end of the year, we had helped elect a new president and decided that retail sales were not our cup of tea.

2009- I travelled more and more while you unfortunately had to stay home with a sick Lillian. Later in the year we planted trees and expanded our vegetable garden. By the fall we had a bustling home life going and you had started blogging at a very respectable rate. I began my interest with charcuterie sometime during this year; our basement has often smelled delicious every since.

2010- In the late winter we acquired chickens. Our household animal count rose to six with a revolving number of fish. In the spring we took Lil to Washington D.C. and to see the ponies on Chincoteague. The summer mainly revolved around an epic Canadian canoe trip. By the fall and winter you were struggling with monumental sinus problems and we were approaching 3,650 days of matrimony....