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Well, yesterday was Tara's and my nine-year wedding anniversary. We didn't really celebrate it -- life has been consistently getting in the way. There are just too many things that we need to do to allow us to do the things we want to do.

We did take the kids out for some games and munchies at Lucky Strike, but that wasn't really an anniversary celebration. In fact, we weren't even thinking about our anniversary much. It was more of a consistently-appearing epiphany, a *DING* "it's your anniversary, stupid!" kind of moment, jumping up at odd times during the day.

So, to honor this momentous occasion, albeit a day late, I present to you the vows we made to each other on that day in June, nine years ago, standing outside the carriage house in Ann Arbor.

Tara Marie, I choose you
to be my companion, my partner, my lover.
I choose you to be my wife.

And to you, I make this vow:
I promise to love you.
I will be a pillar of strength in your times of sadness and trouble.
I will remember the love you hold for me when I feel anger or fear.

To you, I make this vow:
I promise to honor you.

Yesterday (June 26), a freak, crazy storm passed through Plymouth while I was upstairs on the phone, working. Our power flickered and my call dropped, but she called me back on my cell phone.

While still chatting, I heard a huge gust of wind and a smattering of sudden rain, and with a *WHOOSH* it was gone.

I looked out the window at my neighbor's roof and saw some leaves on there and could just make out the rain hitting the shingles. I remarked on the rain, and my wife mentioned that the car windows were down.

Boom, we run downstairs and I go close the car windows, but by then, my wife had found it: the remains of our gazebo. The canvas top that goes over the wire frame was caught in the wind, came partway off, and was used to pull the poor thing over.

Here are the photos: