We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last Wednesday, 10/17. We dated for 9 years and knew each other for two years before we started dating. Sometimes it seems like yesterday. I hardly remember not knowing Dan and can't imagine life without him.

We took a two day, one night trip to Nashville, IN. We've been going there since we started dating and Dan wanted to go there for our anniversary. Nashville is located in Brown County, IN. There's a very nice park and Nashville is an "artists colony". They have lots of shops with lots of pottery, oil paintings, watercolors, you name it, all hand made and mostly from local artists. After our three day two night trip in April I knew I couldn't do it without help, so Jeff went with us. I couldn't have done it without him. Our morning and nightly routine is very difficult without a hospital bed.

Dan always has such grandiose plans. He still doesn't comprehend that he can't do so many things. It's a little over an hour drive from our house but he was totally exhausted by the time we got there. We shopped for about half an hour and then we went to the hotel so Dan could lie down. Next day he wanted to go to the outlet mall about 30 minutes away. He did real well, I know he was in pain and very tired, but we did a little over two hours shopping then had a nice dinner.

Shopping is really interesting with Dan. He's always been a great shopper, he loves to shop. However, post stroke he really doesn't care what he buys or what it costs, he just wants to BUY. He can spend two hours at Target, Lowes, Menards, etc. He buys stuff he doesn't need nor want. I either convice him he doesn't need it, we already have it, or, sometimes I flat out say NO. Jeff, however, doesn't say No. He's tried and Dan has "reminded" that Dan is the boss (so he thinks! lol). So, I put his purchases on the counter, wait a few weeks, and start making returns. lol. He usually doesn't miss whatever was returned. He and Jeff went to breakfast a week ago and Dan ordered everything ala carte...$20 for breakfast, just HIS. Well, couldn't take that one back. We did discuss it that evening. The next time they went to breakfast he told Jeff he got into trouble with me. lol.

We had a good time on our anniversary. Not in the way that we used to, but we still had a good time. It's so hard sometimes. I long to be just a wife again.