This entry may run towards the “sickenly sweet” for some of you, so consider yourselves warned!

I love my husband. Okay, there! I’ve said it, I’ve admitted it, and I show it! There has been no earth-shaking event that caused me to share this with you; rather, there have been a compilation of everyday loving moments, moments where my heart swells with a happiness that causes my lips to curve up in a Cheshire cat smile.

Michael and I met in 1997, a time when my definition of the perfect relationship was “You keep your place and I’ll keep mine. We’ll see each other perhaps once a week and we’ll travel together.” If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans! Fast forward several months: I turned 50; Michael and I married; I became a mom of an 8 year old (Josh) and a 16 year old (Lauren) and had no stretch marks! Michael had lost his wife to cancer and was a single parent. Years before that, I had lost my only child, my son David, to a sudden death when he was 2. As Josh (no longer 8—now 18 but just as sweet and loving today) said, “God put us together! You needed a son and a husband and we needed a mother and a wife!”

Needless to say, I faced some challenging times with my new (to me) teenage daughter—resistance, resentment, rebellion, reconciliation, and, as of today, a mixed bag. Josh and I bonded immediately. When he was 10, I told him I wanted to have him “freeze-dried” so he’d stay just the way he was forever.  A year or so later, he asked me if I was glad he kept growing up? I smiled, hugged him and told him I was so glad for every day I could be his mom.

Now, back to my love story: Michael and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in May. That is certainly not a long time for many of you and I doubt you’ll find that statistic in any record book; however, I am convinced, truly convinced, that we have met before, and that, at some future time, when we have passed from this existence, we will meet again.

Michael and I have a 24/7/365 (plus leap year day) relationship. We live together, we work together, we dine together, and often, we play together. I could not imagine this type of arrangement working for me. I need my space—and I get it; I need time for my friends—and I have it; I need my independence—and we are interdependent not codependent.

We just spent 10 days together exploring Ancient Egypt and many times we caught ourselves smiling, holding hands, and delighting in the ability to share this time together. Many of my friends comment that it’s easier to be kind to a stranger than to a loved one. Sorry, guys, that’s not true for me! What I have is so precious, so special, so sacred—I find myself working harder on kindess, respect, and love at home than with people I don’t know.

Before falling in love with Michael, I couldn’t tolerate imperfections in my partner. We all have “warts” and somehow I’d focus on the warts and lose sight of the person. Today, I so love Michael and because his warts make him who he is, I love his warts even more! Maybe that is what love is all about…

If you have been following every electifying word I type, you’ll know we just returned from Egypt. And, if you don’t read every entry I post, we just returned from Egypt. Once again, I witnessed the curious phenonenon of many US travelers—we expect the rest of the world to behave like we do and to treat us as if we were still in the states! That attitude and the behavior exhibited by those of us who are hellbent on Americanizing the world perpetuates the stereotype of the Ugly American traveler!

“Excuse me, could you move over” as the US person tries to stage “the perfect photo” of a sacred shrine, while denying the rest of us a chance to view and explore. “Young man, young man! Where’s the ice for my drink? Do you think 2 cubes are enough?” Most cultures do not try to cram an iceberg into a glass.”Those vendors—they don’t take ‘NO!’ for an answer!” We’re in their culture—get over it and get into it!

I think one of the things that prevents me from blogging more often is ME! I tell myself that I must be profound or humorous, make an impact and I act like that “musty” message is a fact! It is an opinion, albeit mine (which means it MUST be right!) and my new mantra is write, just write!

 We just returned from cruising Da Nile and loved every minute of it! We were hosted by the President of Big Five Tours and Expeditions aboard the gorgeous, sleek, contemporary Oberoi Zahra. We arrived in Cairo at dinner time and as soon as we got to the hotel, the Four Seasons Nile Plaza (Four Seasons is so predictably excellent!!!), we went to sleep. When we awoke the next morning we felt rested and did not experience the usual jet lag.

The ancient Egyptians were so advanced. I used to believe that old or ancient was synonymous with primitive, backwards, and outdated. How wrong I was! The first time I visited Pompeii I was jolted out of that belief. Yet, old beliefs die hard and on this journey I once again confront my “I’m so cool and 21st Century” arrogance. I learned that the ancient Egyptians were very advanced in the sciences, arts, and, of course, in engineering.

It’s now 8:20 PM Friday evening and I’m very tired. More travelogue and photos to come soon!