An Even Dozen

Published by Toronto Mike on January 15, 2008 @ 10:18 in Family

wedding Twelve years ago today, on a cold January afternoon in Toronto, I married Taryn. It's funny what you remember a dozen years later. I remember all the costs. $53 for a marriage license at City Hall, $53 for the ceremony at Old City Hall and $165 for a couple of rings from a guy in the basement of the Eaton Centre. I also remember watching Melrose Place that night and feeling like we were pretty mature. She was 20 and I was 21.

Twelve years later, I'm happy to say it was fantastic foresight on my part. This easily could have been a disaster, but twelve years later we're still in love, we have two amazing kids, we still dig each other and the spark is still there. She's my best friend and I love her to pieces.

Happy 12th Anniversary, Taryn.

Entry Permalink

14 comments

14 Responses to "An Even Dozen"

Mike Kic
January 15, 2008 / 10:39

She must really love you if she lets you play dodgeball on your wedding anniversary.

Andrew
January 15, 2008 / 10:55

This is an interesting thing that I didn't know about my almost favourite blogger.

I have liked your blog because I have a lot of similarities with you. Now I see you also got married quite young (I was 22) and have been married for the same amount of time (12 in April). Although we had out kids a little earlier (and stopped at two).

My reason for posting, it may delve a little deep, but I was curious on your thoughts of marrying so young. Most of my friends got married a lot later (one is this year) and none of them are with the girl they dated in high school. I have heard that some people think I didn't "live" enough. I think differently. I think it is great that I was able to grow and mature with someone for the better part of my life and it now creates a deeper understanding of each other. Maybe I am getting too deep.

Anyway, Happy Anniversay.

SoccerMom
January 15, 2008 / 11:11

Happy Anniversary you to! I always admire couples that are together for a long time. My first marriage only lasted 5yrs when I had had enough and was forced to call him mom and tell her to take him back. Thank Goodness for the extended warranty

Toronto Mike
January 15, 2008 / 11:18

"Almost favourite blogger"? Who beat me!

Kic, can we wear matching headbands tonight? And yes, it's very cool she lets me play dodgeball on our anniversary.

Andrew, at least you married the girl you dated in high school. I met Taryn less than 8 months before we got married.

I don't think I'd recommend anyone get married at 20 or 21, because you're really very, very young and you haven't had a chance to find out who you are, but I disagree with most of the reasons for waiting. For 12 years, I've completely shared a life with someone. We were students when we married, working part-time jobs, and together we graduated, got full-time careers, bought a home, bought a car, procreated and generally evolved. It's awesome, if you ask me.

We each have our own interests and things we do independent of the marriage, but we also have stuff we do together. Taryn has never watched a Leafs game with me, but we watch all our movies and most of our shows together. Taryn would never play softball or dodgeball with me, but we both love long walks and The White Stripes. We grew and matured together and now we know each other deeply because we were together for everything.

You're right, this might be too deep, but we both know what we mean.

Andrew
January 15, 2008 / 11:27

I have to give Freddiep his due. I found him through you but stayed with you through him. Does that make sense?

I agree with the seperate parts of your lives. I do community theatre and she doesn't. She won't listen to a single Tom Waits song (although I get to watch the Wire and a Tom song is the theme). We both watched Dexter on demand together in multiple lengthy stretches.

felix
January 15, 2008 / 11:28

Yeah, I'd just turned 23... still I was probably too young.

Anyhow, congrats on making it to 12, Mike... I'm sure there are plenty more to come.

james edgar
January 15, 2008 / 12:10

Congratulations Mike!We married later and i sometimes wish I had met someone earlier. But that's how it goes.

Now soccermom what's this about extended warrenty? i wasn't aware of that! Is it on both parties or just the guy? I guess it has expiered by now anyway but it might have been nice to know about that few years ago!

The_Voice
January 15, 2008 / 14:12

Congrats!

SoccerMom
January 15, 2008 / 14:16

Oh ya James, it's a little known fact, and we all get one. You have to be the one who grabbed the marriage certificate first and if you'd have flip it over and read the back of it you would have seen it in the tiny fine print. Unless, someone, and you don't need to guess who I am talking about but a good clue would be she likes to be refered to as Mrs. James got to it first and messed with your copy, then no warranty for you. :)

Al
January 15, 2008 / 15:33

Happy Anniversary Mike! Me and the wifey got married at 25, but knew eachother since 19. It's been 7 years now. All our friends thought we were crazy to marry so young, yet most of them said, "Well it's about time!" when I finally proposed.

Mike (Buffalo Boy)
January 15, 2008 / 19:55

Happy Anniversery Mike! Congradulations!

Jill
January 15, 2008 / 20:08

Beautiful post Mike. Congratulations to you both.

I'm not sure if there is a most suitable age for marriage. The most suitable age is when you're both able to take time to figure out who you are as an individual first, and what you can bring to the table to make the relationship "work."
If you're with the right person, the "work" will not have to be so difficult.

Doug
January 16, 2008 / 08:51

Happy Anniversary Mike!!

Doug
January 19, 2008 / 10:50

(Wow, I'm beside myself...)

Yeah, congrats. ;-)