Happy September 1st!!!

Way back when Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I first started dating we began what has now become an epic battle of timing and wits. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I met on July 31, 1984. I believe it was Mr. Yesteryear Acres who then called me the very next day to wish me Happy August 1st. Being the ultra competitive person I am, I was of course first to wish him Happy September 1st the following month. It was all very sweet and mostly innocent back then because we were celebrating the fact that we had been together another month. We couldn't wait to wish one another Happy October 1st - because that again was another small milestone as we celebrated our 3rd month being together. By November 1st it was a race to see who would be the first to wish the other "Happy 1st" and thus the "Happy _____ 1st" battle began. You would think in the 26 years to follow, our "Happy _____1st" contest would lose some steam. Au contraire!  In the entire 313 months that have passed since we first met, we have never missed a month, nor have we weakened our resolve to be the very first one to wish the other one Happy first day of the month. We have called each other on the phone at wee hours in the morning to leave voice mail messages that say "HAPPY _____ 1st.......HA HA HA I WIN!"  We have taped notes to gallons of milk, boxes of cereal, toothbrushes etc.  One of us will often wait on the last day of the month and act as if we have NO idea that it is 11:59pm and that in ONE short minute VICTORY will be HERE.  I often will win that one because Mr. Yesteryear Acres almost always falls sound asleep sitting on the couch waiting for midnight. He then likes to pretend the next morning that he doesn't remember me winning. He is sooooo funny.  If I don't make it until midnight, you can be sure Mr. Yesteryear Acres will most likely win the month.  He likes to wake me up around 6am just to say "Sweetie,...... HAPPY ______ 1st! HA HA HA HA! Ahhhh so lovely to wake up to LOSING the game!!! Grrrrr. Often on the last day of the month you can catch us watching the second hands on our watch just to be sure we are FIRST to bring in the wishes for the new month. Mr. Yesteryear Acres will go to the trouble of syncing his watch exactly to the official atomic clock located in Boulder, Colorado so that his "Happy ____ 1st" will be the most accurate. You see? It is a full on war.  When our kids got a little older, they joined in the contest.  We didn't invite them to our game and secretly we both get really mad when they win. I mean who said they could play?  This morning right on the glass door to the back porch was a little purple sticky note written by our younger daughter.  It said (of course) "Happy September 1st".  As soon as she came home from school she asked if she had won. Well NO she didn't win.  Last night was actually...a TIE!  Both Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I waited until exactly 12:00:00 and said "Happy September 1st" at the same time.  It was pretty funny because I thought I had it WON as Mr. Yesteryear Acres looked as though he were sleeping.  He was just lying in wait. I think it was our first tie in years!  So to all my dear readers....HAPPY SEPTEMBER 1st!!!!  I hope the month of September brings happiness to all!