Spencer turned twenty-two this year on the eighth of April. He worked that day, but I woke at 4am to make him a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and eggs before he left and to stick a card in his lunch box. After finishing up my shopping for him, I cleaned and decorated the house. Twisting and taping streamers to the wall along with matching turquoise balloons was finished just in time for his return.

The pulled pork I had prepared in the crock pot earlier that day was not tender enough when he walked through the door, so we begun with dessert. Spencer loves cheesecake and pumpkin pie, so I took the middle road baking him another Pumpkin Cheesecake. I lit the "Happy Birthday" candles and solo-sung him a birthday wish, before he blew the wax onto the still barren parts of the cheesecake for flavor.

We Face-Timed my youngest brother and family, who shares a birthday with Spencer and exchanged singing birthday songs. They joined me in watching Spence open his presents. His parents thoughtfully had sent him a pair of electronic earphones, for shooting. In the gift from his wife, he found many clothes and shoes, along with mags for his gun and a router.

By the time he finished, dinner was ready to be served, so I cut up the buns and filled them with pulled pork for the birthday boy.

I love doing life with Spencer. The world is spreading the false notion that marriage is wholly unnecessary. That commitment of this sort only ties one down. In the age of not growing up, people hold the view that marriage is something to do after they have lived their life to the fullest. Let me tell you that marriage has made my life fuller than it has ever been. It does require you to grow - a lot. But the most beautiful things in life come through times where you venture outside of what is easy and allow yourself to be worked on. Going through life with a partner whom you know will always have your back and be there to support you is part of a most fulfilling experience - one that I could never replace.