Yes, it's St. Valentine's Day, but as usual, we're ignoring that fact. Assuming we still have electricity this evening, we plan to cosy up with the kids on the couch and watch an episode or two of Star Trek, then head to bed early and fall asleep watching the snow fall.

It's not that we're not romantic. It's just that a far better celebration waits in the wings: on the 16th, we'll celebrate 17 years of marriage.

Here's a photo of us that Patrick's brother Marc took outside the Salt Lake Temple. It was so cold that day that the rest of the family refused to go out in the weather for group pictures, so we braved the elements alone.

We've braved a lot of elements since: chronic illness, law school, law firms, not to mention the five forces of nature we brought into the world together. Patrick has made me either laugh or swoon every day (on great days, both) of the over 6,000 we've been married; that fact has gotten us through an awful lot. I'm keenly aware that not everyone gets to be married to his or her best friend; I wish I could share what we've got with the whole world.

Last Saturday, in his capacity as Bishop, Patrick officiated at the wedding of two members of our congregation. (The photo above is of the cake I made for the occasion.) In his counsel to the couple before he pronounced them husband and wife, he quoted a favorite song, one that has inspired us through the years:

We're neither wise, nor kind, nor good;

We'll do the best we know.

We'll build our house and chop our wood,

And make our garden grow, and make our garden grow.

Thanks, hon. It's a beautiful garden. I look forward to many more years working in it together.