Today marks eight years since Arvind and I joined hands to venture into the journey of togetherness. Every up, every down, every twist and turn has been a thrilling adventure in his company thus far. To me having Arvind by my side equates to peace of mind. The peace of mind that comes from knowing that there may be hurdles along the way, but together we will overcome. That there is someone by my side who will keep the wheels moving should I slack. That we complement each other, in strengths and in weaknesses. That although it may seem like we take each other for granted, deep down we cherish each other's company. That there are no "your" and "my" parents, brother, or sister, just ours. That there is space in togetherness. So Arvind, for all these and more, I feel blessed to be your other half in life. Love in lots and Happy Anniversary to us.

It's hard to believe that eight years have gone by so quickly. Really, it doesn't feel that long ago that I went through the ponnu parkardhu, the nichaydhartham, the wedding, the move to Boston, the student life, Atul's arrival, and the move to our new home. Wanting to refresh some of my wedding day memories, I pulled my wedding album out this evening. As much as I cribbed about the huge crowd, the extravaganza, and the wedding politics eight years ago, today as I flipped through the pages of the album the pictures only brought back delight and fond memories - pictures of thathas and pattis still in the pink of their health, of my parents-in-law together as a couple, of my parents masking their concern with smile and cheer, of A and A scurrying around doing their brotherly and sisterly duties, of my little cousins wearing pattu pavadai chattai, of school, college and office friends gumbals, and of S akka who came all the way from Malaysia to participate in the wedding arrangements. An army of people gathered to celebrate our togetherness, and for that I am eternally thankful.

It has been a year since we moved into this house. Last year I wrote about how all of us were head over heels in love with the new house here, if at all anything the fondness has only grown stronger this past year. I must confess that it is a resource consuming exercise just to keep up with the day to day maintenance of the house let alone undertaking any home improvement projects. This past year, we have seen perennials wilt in the winter and spring to life as the seasons changed. We have muttered under our breath clearing mountains and mountains of snow from our driveway. The blue jays and cardinals have delighted us with their singing and dancing in our backyard. We have learnt that as pretty as the dandelions are, they can wreak havoc on our lawn. The school bus stop at the corner of the street has Atul aspiring for elementary and high school. The friendly neighbors and the local community have only made the experience complete by extending a support system.

Did I mention that we have added a lot of personal touch to the house - the kitchen flooring has gotten duller with food stains, the walls bear our finger prints, a scratch here and a crack there; I realize that it these marks that make this house a home, our sweet home!