My husband and I went on our first date on November 30, 1999. We got engaged on December 30, 1999. (Yes, one month later.) We got married on May 20, 2000 (five months later.)

Passive aggressive comments aside, we were told that our first year of marriage would be HARD. We would fight a lot, we would have a hard time adjusting to being bonded to another person, there may be dishes smashed in the process.

We had none of that. My husband and I share the same two main love languages (words of affirmation and acts of service), which helps a lot. I am fiery, but he is calm and steady and we just balance each other out. This is not to say that I wish he could get more fired up about stuff sometimes, or that he wishes I could not be so emotional sometimes, but it’s all good. Most days.

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My husband is pretty rare in that he’s really good at shopping for me. Like, really good. There are times when I want something in particular, and will suggest as much, but often I leave it up to him. He seems to have a knack for buying me something that I didn’t know I even wanted, and I’ll love it so much.

One such example is the ring he bought me for Christmas. I have a bit of a thing for necklaces, and he will often add to my collection of costume jewelery. Instead, he surprised me with real jewelry. The last time he bought me real jewelry was when he bought my engagement ring and wedding band.

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When I was eleven years old, my body decided to respond to my female hormones and presented me with the gift of a monthly cycle. I still remember the first time I got my period; I called my Mom to come up to the bathroom, she took one look at the ‘evidence’ and asked, “Is that from YOU?”

Such a bonding moment, that.

She then took me out for lunch and talked to me about how boys were going to want to get into my pants (*cringe*) and how all that boys think about was sex (*ew*) and that if I didn’t want to get pregnant, I better keep said pants on (*MOM!*).

I had a bit of an idea what sex was - thanks to a friend showing me with a Barbie and Ken couple - but everything was still pretty vague at that point. And also, awkward. Talking about sex with your parents is horrifying, regardless of your age.

Now *I* am the Mom, and my oldest child, a son, is almost ten. (I still can’t believe that. DOUBLE DIGITS.) He’s only started having girl friends in the past year, and the bulk of his time is spent playing video games with his (male) buddies. He’s nowhere near being ready to date or anything, but I keep reading horrible statistics about how young kids are when they start having sex and it scares me a little.

Yes, we live in a close-knit community, and yes, we live so far out of town that my kids can’t sneak out to meet up with their friends (Yay!), but I know that we’re going to have to have “the talk” soon. My husband and I are affectionate with each other, the kids know that there is no stork that drops babies off, and that they entered the world via my private parts. I think that the technical details are pretty vague for them, still, so we’ll have to have a little scientific discussion. I just don’t it to be too soon … or too late.

How about you? When did you have “the talk” with your kids? If you haven’t had it yet, when do you think is a good time for it?

I write this column two days a week and it’s suggested that I share personal experiences on Tuesdays, and link to another relationship article on Fridays, give a little blurb, and see what you lovelies think about the article. The thing is, it’s really hard to find articles that aren’t about ‘how to cheat’ or ‘erotic novels’ or ‘why marriage is stupid’.

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My husband and I both like to eat healthy food — we only eat out on “Date Night” — and our food consumption consists of a lot of fruit, veggies, and protein. A lot of said protein comes from a local ranch (beef) as well as the deer (and bear!) my husband has hunted, harvested, and had processed by a butcher. We also have chickens; some for meat, some for eggs.

We’re doing all that we can to be sustainable.

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‘Finding your soul mate’ is a big thing in our culture. You will meet him (or her) and you will discover that you are the other half of each others’ puzzle. Romantic music will play in the background and you will live your lives together in a state of romantic comedy-esque bliss.

I don’t know if I believe that there is one ’soul mate’ for every person because, well, the Earth has a lot of human inhabitants. That said, I cannot imagine being married to anyone other that my husband. We have our differences, of course — he is a pessimist (he says he’s a ‘realist’) and I am the eternal optimist.

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My two sons are off at camp for this week (Six nights away from home!) and my husband is at that same camp as a volunteer doing handyman stuff. This is the first time that both boys have been away at camp — or anywhere — without their sister, so I proposed that she and I take a girls’ trip. We hopped in the van and hit the road.

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I’m sure that you’ve read a hundred posts by now about the fact that Katie Holmes filed for divorce from Tom Cruise. There is much speculation about the why (Scientology weirdness being the main reason), but who really knows? Maybe he’s not the same smiling/happy guy he is for the public, or one hundred other possible reasons. Their impending divorce got me thinking about celebrity divorces in general.

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Back when we were newlyweds, a mentor couple that our church had paired us with gave us some advice that was the opposite of what we’d heard from many others. They told us that it was okay to go to bed angry with each other.

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