• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Effie Caldarola
          • John Garvey
          • Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe

Our lucky 13th wedding anniversary

September 25, 2017
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

How do you celebrate 13 years of marriage?On Saturday we got out of the house together without our boys for a few hours to go to an event through John’s job. I wore a red fascinator, we enjoyed adult conversation, and we watched a steeplechase race. It was lovely.

The next day we took our boys along with us for a special dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Dimitri’s in Catonsville, Md. Our older son announced that it was our anniversary, and we were treated to a complimentary brownie sundae for the table.

Horse racing and a brownie sundae? That would be hard to top. During my weekly grocery run, I had picked out what I thought was the ideal anniversary card for my husband of 13 years and counting. On the spur of the moment, I bought a few scratch-off tickets. I knew the boys would enjoy them, and they seemed fun for our “lucky 13th.”

Today, on our anniversary morning, Leo and Daniel couldn’t wait to scratch off the lottery tickets, but I made them wait until their father opened his card.

As they were waiting, it occurred to Daniel that his father might not actually have a card for me. So he ran to get a piece of card stock and created a card. And, of course, his card was amazing and far superior to anything I could have found in the grocery store.

I had told the boys that if we won $50,000 in the lottery, we would all take the day off. Unluckily—or luckily, depending on how you look at it—we only won $15.

In the evening, after our boys went to sleep, I worked on finishing the dishes while John did the laundry in the basement. As I was working, I thought about how he does all the laundry, all the yard work, all the financial stuff, all the hard work in the household that I can’t figure out.

Me? I do all the cooking and the school paperwork and the blogging.

We may not have won $50,000 in the lottery. But on our 13th anniversary (and every other day, too), I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Rita Buettner

Rita Buettner is a wife, working mother and author of the Catholic Review's Open Window blog. She and her husband adopted their two sons from China, and Rita often writes about topics concerning adoption, family and faith.

Rita also writes The Domestic Church, a featured column in the Catholic Review. Her writing has been honored by the Catholic Press Association, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association and the Associated Church Press.

View all posts from this author

| Recent Commentary |

Reasons why St. Francis is a model of synodality

Cardinal Dolan: Are Sunday Masses just too long?

A taste of a child’s birthday joy

Grandma still uses cash, but updates when it’s truly necessary

Question Corner: Are ‘little white lies’ Ok to tell?

| Recent Local News |

Compensating all claims of abuse: Archdiocese considers Chapter 11 reorganization

Perfect harmony: Music internship program helps parishes in Western Maryland

Archbishop Lori announces appointments, including three associate pastors

Radio Interview: Knowing and Loving the Angels

Gift of All Truth, a missionary outreach, will focus on youths

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Bishop Strickland will not resign, but says he will respect Pope Francis’ authority if removed
  • ‘¿Qué va a pasar?’: El fallo sobre DACA mantiene a los ‘Dreamers’ en el limbo legal
  • ‘What’s going to happen?’: DACA ruling keeps ‘Dreamers’ in immigration limbo
  • Vatican asks U.N. Security Council to join efforts for peace in Ukraine
  • Former Soviet political prisoners urge Jewish and Ukrainian unity amid WWII memorial row
  • Russia’s goal is to destroy population in Ukraine, Lviv bishop says after drone attack
  • Catholic high school teacher fired for covering up previous employment, sex services charges
  • New stage for U.S. seminarians focuses on human and spiritual formation
  • Videogame Review: ‘Under the Waves’

Search

Membership

Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2023 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED