On Monday, Rich and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. Part of me is totally in awe and wants to shout it from the rooftops. But I was raised Presbyterian with a minor in superstition, so even the thought of that freaks me out.

I’ll admit it: when someone on Facebook writes a gushing post about how perfect and incredible their partner is, I can’t help but think, “Who are you trying to convince?” And as time passes and things play out, those suspicions sometimes are validated. So I’m loathe to write anything about our marriage, because I don’t want to curse it and I REALLY don’t want to read it in my Facebook memories next year while sitting alone in my new one-bedroom apartment.

But I feel the need to give Rich a shout-out. He’s the best husband a person could ask for. (And yes, that DOES mean that if this marriage ever goes down the tubes, there will not  be another. For either of us. I know I’d never find anyone better. And he just…knows better now.)

We’ve had our share of ups and downs, and through it all, he’s always supported me. Sometimes annoyingly so. There is no one I enjoy making laugh more than him. Recently, I started doing some work for his company, and when we’re working together I love to pretend that I’m a new employee who won’t stop coming on to the boss. Mostly I’m just amusing myself, but he humors me by pretending (I think) to be uncomfortable and laughing.

So maybe we just got lucky. Maybe life only handed us problems we were capable of solving together. Maybe it’s because I make unbelievably delicious roast beef au jus sandwiches at home. I really don’t want to curse it. But I do want to express my gratitude, even if doing so ruins the whole thing and he serves me with papers next month.

And while we’re on the topic of wanting to celebrate a streak without cursing it, I must ask: How ’bout those Mariners?