| I'm not sure whether you've ever considered | | | | and still have the score sheets. One of us would |
| converting your thoughts and feelings into a | | | | always write little sayings on the sheet about the |
| meaningful anniversary gift but poetry can be a | | | | winner and loser. The winner always wore the |
| great idea for any anniversary and is a truly | | | | invisible crown. Sometimes when Tommy or I |
| romantic way of expressing your innermost | | | | would be the current champion of both games |
| thoughts and feelings.(Here's a good example of | | | | we would fake "complain" that our head hurt |
| what can be achieved. Debbie was going to be | | | | because we were wearing two crowns as a |
| celebrating her first anniversary and wanted | | | | joke.For the first month we were dating, if our |
| something special for her husband, Tommy. | | | | date fell on a Saturday he would always schedule |
| Debbie has kindly given her permission for her | | | | the date for 6:30 or 6:45pm. One Saturday I was |
| poem and story to be published)Wiggy and | | | | passing a Catholic church in our town about |
| WigsterWhat is your name : Debbie ItalianoWho | | | | 6:00pm and noticed his truck. I realized that he |
| do you want the poem written for: My Husband | | | | was going to church, but did not want to tell me |
| TommyWhy do you want the poem written: Our | | | | that. I am Catholic too and had not been to |
| First Wedding AnniversaryWhat are the key | | | | church in many years because I had no one to go |
| messages you would like to send: We had known | | | | with or any other excuse I could come up with. I |
| each other for about 13 years before we started | | | | told him I saw him there and told him I would love |
| dating, but he did not know that mutual friends of | | | | to go with him. Now we add mass every |
| ours had tried to fix me up with him throughout | | | | Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. to whatever our |
| that time. He came to my job one day (July 30th) | | | | schedule may be. I've heard it said that "people |
| because he was friends with my boss and he | | | | who pray together, stay together."Do you have |
| struck up a conversation with me. That day I | | | | any other comments or thoughts: We have an |
| happened to be very tan, I was in the best | | | | extremely loving and kind relationship. We do not |
| physical shape of my life and I was wearing a | | | | fight , yell or call each names. We do everything |
| white half shirt so my rippled stomach was | | | | together as a team. We are each other's best |
| showing. He saw that and said "I gotta have that". | | | | friend. We are supportive of each other at all |
| He asked me what I did to stay in shape and I | | | | times. We cherish life and each other. I am just |
| told him bike riding, running, roller blading etc. So | | | | about 40 and he is 44. It took us many years to |
| he asked if we could get together sometime and | | | | find each other. My husband decided that he was |
| go together. It turns out I lived right around the | | | | content on being single the rest of his life, until he |
| corner from him (a 3-minute walk away!). He | | | | met me. The relationship I have with Tommy is |
| called me that day at the office after he left and | | | | the best relationship with anyone, male or female, |
| asked me to go with him down the shore to pick | | | | that I have ever had.What style of poem would |
| up a new truck he had bought.I was still on the | | | | you prefer (happy, sad, romantic etc.): happy and |
| fence about a guy I had been dating for a few | | | | romanticPlease choose which package you would |
| weeks, so I declined and said I was busy and | | | | prefer: UniqueDo you have any last comments or |
| maybe some other time. Over the next month, I | | | | thoughts: My husband is truly my sole mate and |
| changed the route I took to work so that I could | | | | the love of my life. I adore him. He is not like any |
| drive by his house, in hopes of seeing him outside | | | | other human being I've met my entire life. He |
| to wave hello. One month to the day (August | | | | completes me. Everyone that he knows or meets |
| 30th) I had already broken it off with the other | | | | thinks he is such a wonderful person with a great |
| guy and went into my boss's email address book | | | | big heart, and now it beats for me!Wiggy and |
| and got Tommy's address and I e-mailed him to | | | | WigsterWe had known each other for 13 years, |
| say hello and asked to take him up on that bike | | | | that was even before we'd started to date, but |
| ride. He was thrilled. We went out on our first | | | | despite the best efforts of our mutual friends, |
| date 2 days later, September 1, 2001. We went | | | | they hadn't accounted for those winds of fate.We |
| to dinner at The Offshore in Point Pleasant and | | | | had known each other for 13 years, that was |
| then took a romantic stroll, hand-in-hand, from | | | | even before we'd started to date, but despite the |
| one end of the boardwalk to the other. After 2 | | | | best efforts of our mutual friends, they hadn't |
| weeks of dating, we were in NYC one night and I | | | | accounted for those winds of fate.You came to |
| asked him when was all the sweetness going to | | | | my job one hot July 30th, and you struck up a |
| end and he said, "never, why does it have to." | | | | conversation with me, that day I happened to be |
| Both of us knew it this was it, after only two | | | | very tanned, you thought my ripped stomach |
| weeks. All of our friends and family knew too and | | | | was a place to be.You asked what I did to stay in |
| wondered why we were waiting so long to get | | | | shape, and asked if sometime we could go |
| married or moved in together. I moved in 8 | | | | together, I was only 3 minutes away from "more |
| months later (May 1, 2002) and we were engaged | | | | than life itself, each and every day of my life, |
| the day after my birthday on July 28th, 2002. We | | | | forever and ever".Exactly one month from that |
| were happily married August 2, 2003. And the | | | | first meeting day, I looked you up in an e-mail |
| sweetness is still there, it will never end. We went | | | | address book, I must admit I'd been driving by |
| on our honeymoon to one of the most romantic | | | | your house, just in the hope I'd get a wave or a |
| places in the world, Italy.Do you have any funny, | | | | look.Because I'd already turned down one |
| sad, happy, embarrassing or otherwise | | | | invitation, and wasn't going to make that same |
| memorable moments that you would like to | | | | mistake again, so I asked to take you up on that |
| share: I had a cat Ziggy when I was in my | | | | bike ride, you were so thrilled, you just said: |
| apartment alone and he hated cats. He was quite | | | | "When?"We went out on our first date two days |
| concerned about how things would work out | | | | later, for the record, it was dinner at The |
| because I adored my cat. He did not like to hug | | | | Offshore, then we took a romantic stroll, hand in |
| me when I had cat hair on my clothes. When I | | | | hand, and I knew my life had changed (for |
| moved in the cat stayed in the basement. Then a | | | | evermore).After two weeks of dating, I asked |
| week or so later he fixed the basement with | | | | when would all the sweetness end, and you said, |
| toys for the cat. Then a little while later the cat | | | | "Never, why does it have to?", We both knew |
| was allowed in the hallway too and Tommy began | | | | then, we'd found a lifelong friend.It was obvious to |
| playing with him every day when he came home | | | | our friends and family too, and I had waited for |
| from work. Then he was allowed in the whole | | | | you to say "I love you" for so long, so happily, I |
| house and sleeping with us. Now, he kisses the | | | | moved in just a few months later, and ever |
| cat more than me and refers to him as "his | | | | since, we've never put one foot wrong.When we |
| son"!Before our first date he asked one of his | | | | first met I found you disliked cats, and now Ziggy |
| friends if he should hold my hand and his friend | | | | "your son" gets more kisses than me, but let me |
| said no. He did anyway and the day after our | | | | tell you, Wiggy, you're wonderful, and you've |
| date I told him that I felt really comfortable with | | | | made Wigster's World a great place to be.Wearing |
| him and that the best part was that he held my | | | | two crowns can be sometimes tiring, so together, |
| hand! We still hold hands ALL THE TIME, even in | | | | we play, we laugh, love, walk and pray, hand in |
| the car!My husband and I are both very anal | | | | hand, we do everything as a couple, as we did on |
| people, one reason my mother thought that as I | | | | August 2nd, our "Beautiful" wedding day.I now |
| got older and more anal I would have difficulty | | | | know what a husband's love is truly worth, and |
| being able to live with anyone, but we are anal in | | | | we know that there's no "I" in team, I know you |
| different things and it works really well.We have a | | | | took your time in arriving, but you were worth |
| lovey-dovey saying we say to each other a | | | | waiting for, my dream.Our relationship is the best |
| couple times a day, i.e. when we leave each other | | | | I've ever had, you truly are my soul-mate and |
| or hang up the phone. One of us will start with "I | | | | the love of my life, I just wanted to say, "I'm |
| love you" the other will say "I love you more" and | | | | proud of you", and very proud to be known as |
| that will go back and forth two or three times | | | | your wife.Now there's Wiggy, Wigster, Ziggy and |
| and we do not care who we say it in front of. | | | | Pinky, the newest member to the Italiano clan, |
| Our friends and family always make that "gag | | | | Pinky, is Daddy's favorite baby girl, but don't |
| me" motion.Since the beginning of our relationship | | | | worry, you're still my favorite man.And at the risk |
| we started with a pet name for each other...My | | | | of our friends and family gagging, and this is really |
| husband is Wiggy and my name is Wigster. My | | | | what these words are for Happy First |
| husband will often say "Who loves their Wiggy" I | | | | Anniversary, Tommy, my Wiggy, and you've |
| will say, "Wigster does", he'll say, "how much", I | | | | already guessed it, Wigster loves you |
| will say "More than life itself, each and every day | | | | more.Copyright Allen Jesson :) 2004Debbie kindly |
| of my life, forever and ever" and he will say "all | | | | replied:"Hi Allen, Wow! what a beautiful job!...You |
| right then!"...Our friends and family gag over that | | | | truly have a gift!.."and after the package was |
| one too, and say all this stuff will go away. It's | | | | received:"Hi Allen, My anniversary is today and my |
| been just about three years and our relationship is | | | | husband just opened the poem and absolutely |
| still the same as the day we met.Our wedding | | | | loved it!...Beth did a beautiful job with the |
| invitations and wedding goblets all had our | | | | presentation of it as well...my compliments to you |
| nicknames of Wiggy and Wigster. We walk | | | | both... thanks again for giving me a wonderful |
| together nightly in the Spring and Summer and | | | | "traditional first anniversary gift of paper" for my |
| Fall...On occasion in the Winter, always hand in | | | | husband,Debbie Italiano"So there you have it. A |
| hand.At the beginning of our relationship, we | | | | few thoughts and feelings turned into a truly |
| started to play Scrabble and 500 Rummy...we | | | | meaningful gift of love.Allen Jesson writes for A |
| played one of the two games almost every night | | | | Gift of Love ( a site that specializes in finding |
| for the first 8 or 9 months and we kept score | | | | heartfelft gifts of love from around the world. |