Shhhhh . . . . . it's a secret

I had the most charming conversation recently with our oldest granddaughter who will be having her 4th birthday soon. I asked her what she would like for a birthday present. She told me she is asking Mom and Dad for a scooter like her friend, Will, has so they can scooter like this (as she shows me with an invisible scooter) all around the neighborhood.

"Ahh, that sounds like a great birthday present. What else would you like? What's something Grandpa and Grandma can give you?"

"I want a BIG playhouse for my dolls. A big, BIG one (with her arms making a very BIG motion for emphasis)", she said.

"One you can stand up tall in and have different rooms for your baby dolls?" I asked.

"Yes, a r-e-a-l-l-y big one", she confirmed.

"Hmm, that might be too big for Grandma to send in the mail. What's something you would like that I could send in the mail", I asked.

"Well, everything else is a secret", she whispered.

"Oh! Well, I'm very good at keeping secrets", I said while trying to look as convincing and trustworthy as possible. "Just tell me one secret so I'll know what you'd like for your birthday".

Hesitating, then, with a look of uncertainty at my ability to keep a secret, she told me her secret birthday gift wish. And then . . . she told me another.

"Wow, those are wonderful birthday gift secrets", I said. "I'll write that down so I won't forget."

She watched to make sure I did write them down. She was satisfied.

What were her secret wishes, you ask?

Oh no--I'll never tell.

In the Split Second

Sometime in the split second when February 28th turns into March 1, Scott and I mark our wedding anniversary and we turn another year older in our marriage. Unless, of course, it's Leap Year and we actually have an entire day, a complete 24 hours, a morning, midday, and evening, in which to officially wish each other a Happy Anniversary. Yes, it's true, Scott and I were married on February 29th. How did this happen you ask? Why, of all days, when it only shows up every 4th year? Because I didn't realize! It simply was the best day. As I remember, it was the only day and I was grateful that we were able to find a day that worked around assignments and midterms that come up in the middle of a semester of college, schedules of both our families, dodging BYU games, not overlapping football spring training, and the like. Can you imagine my surprise and my stunned face when a guest at our wedding reception shook Scott's hand and congratulated him on marrying on such a fine day that would only require him remembering our anniversary every 4 years. I wanted to rewind and pick a different day because I wanted an anniversary every single year. Later, when I had a chance to express my very serious concern to Scott that we had indeed been foolish to pick February 29th for our wedding day, he reassuringly smiled at his new bride and said, "we'll just celebrate the last day of February every year, and make it extra special when it's the 29th". My heart melted and I was so happy that I had married the right man who would not forget our anniversary.

This month we are marking 31 fabulous years. Next year we will celebrate 8 anniversaries. It's all been fabulous, each and every year. Have we ever forgotten our anniversary? Well, yes. We had just moved to New Jersey on a Saturday. We were sitting in church on Sunday and the speaker mentioned it was February 28th. Scott and I both looked at each other with surprised smiles and said "oh, we forgot! Happy Anniversary"!