Today is no normal day. Today Violet and I celebrate our 5th year wedding anniversary.

The traditional gift for the 5th anniversary is something crafted from wood. The modern gift is silver, especially silverware. I find the material used for the different specially numbered anniversaries interesting, from cotton to diamond.

Back near our first anniversary, I promised her a 3 gemstone ring by our 5th. This was a perfectly reasonable request. After all, our wedding bands and the engagement rings were inexpensive, and Violet has spent nearly nothing jewelry related since then. I'm lucky her preferred gifts are $13.00 CDs and $10.00 books instead of pieces of jewelry costing hundreds of dollars. But even so, due to financial issues these past several years (losing my job twice, moving 3 times, going back to school for 18 months, huge credit card bills, and being unable to sell our houses quickly enough) we just can't do it. Also, being pregnant, the ring won't fit on her finger in a few months anyway. So once again I will have to delay the delivering of my promises. They may be late, but I'll make good on them as soon as we are able. At least 2 of my promises have been fulfilled: A good home and a baby (which is on the way). And those are more important anyway. One day I hope to buy her everything she wants. But today is not that day. I got her a card. From Wal-mart. Happy Anniversary Violet Twilight. These have been the best 5 years of my life.