An Anniversary...of the Real Kind

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Next week I'll be celebrating my twelfth wedding anniversary.

The kabbalat panim, chupah and dinner were held in a banquet hall called The Paradise. So I like to tell people that my marriage started off in paradise...but it's been hell ever since! No, just kidding... it's been the farthest from that. Pretty much paradise all the way.

Now, in case I've never made mention of this attribute in the past year, I'll now have you know that I love to enter contests -- run by TV stations, radio stations, book publishers, magazines. You name it, I've probably entered it.

Of course, it's great to win by true "luck of the draw" -- when your name is just selected at random. But it's even greater to win on merit -- eg. a winning marketing concept, or a winning idea for another contest, or ... You get the idea, I think. Winning based on my creative self always gives me a positive boost. And yes, over the years I've won several contests, based on both "luck of the draw" and my creativity.

A couple weeks ago I was on a local radio station's web page and noticed a contest called "Renew Your Love."

Love is blind … How do I love thee? Let me count the ways … Love, love me do … No matter how you say it, love makes the world go ‘round. Newstalk 1010 and Omni Jewelcrafters know that RENEWING your love is even sweeter! Send a letter telling us about the love of your life and why you’d like to renew your love. We’ll select the best entry to win the grand prize: a beautiful diamond anniversary band from Jack Berkovits and Omni Jewelcrafters! Plus the winner will enjoy a sumptuous celebratory dinner for 10 family and friends at Omni’s Jewels and Java Restaurant. We also have 10 runner up prizes of dinner for two at Java and Jewels. This contest closed Sunday, December 11, 2005.

The grand prize winner will read their winning entry live on the Bill Carroll Show Tuesday, December 13.

The great thing about this contest was that the restaurant is a Kosher restaurant. It's a combination jewelery store/restaurant whose owner continually advertises on this radio station, so I guess a better way to advertise was to sponsor a contest. Knowing that it's a Kosher restaurant, knowing that my anniversary was coming up, knowing that I love to write letters, and knowing that I love to win contests was plenty of incentive for me to enter.

I knew I'd have to sell myself via my words, but I knew I also had to maintain a low-key tone because of my husband's preference to keep a low profile in life. So it was a matter of balance. Being the Libran that I am, I think I managed to do that. Turns out I wasn't the grand prize winner, but my letter was selected as one of the 10 runners-up, which was perfectly fine by me. I'd played all my cards right.

I guess I now have to go to the jewelery store/restaurant and order something like grilled tuna with roasted potatoes, a Greek salad and pearls on the side. Or maybe I'll just take an order of grilled vegetable wraps with diamonds to go!

In any case, here is what I wrote:

My 12th wedding anniversary will be on December 19. It's been twelve years of life -- and love -- with a good man, and subsequently with three wonderful children.

Renewing my love is just a statement announcing that I'm taking a good thing and making it even better.

From day one, people kept telling TORONTOPEARL's HUSBAND and I that we made a wonderful couple -- first as two people who dated one another, which grew into something serious, and then as a married couple. That was a compliment in itself, to be considered ideal for one another, not just from our POV, but from others', too.

Year one of marriage, which is supposed to be so difficult for people, was a smooth transition. And there was certainly no "seven-year-itch"...not unless you count the birth of a third child as part of that category!

We still discover new things about each other -- we laugh at the same jokes, have similar goals and aspirations for ourselves and our children, we work hard at being individuals while at the same time being a couple.

I married a man whom people only had nice things to say about; that pleased me to no end. People still only have nice things to say about TORONTOPEARL's HUSBAND, and I know that I and our children are the luckiest to have this wonderful all-giving, selfless man in our lives.

To renew my love is to say, "Happy 12th Anniversary, TORONTOPEARL's HUSBAND. I am blessed with you in my life. Our children are blessed with you in their life. Our friends are blessed with you in their life. Our marriage is a blessing, our love is a blessing. May we continue to go from strength to strength, arm in arm, heart in heart -- for many years to come!"