Column: Just add water

My husband, John, and I have been married for 18 years - it will be 19 in November.

We have faced a few hardships, a few triumphs and a few really dull moments. But no matter what, we've stuck together.

We've watched our children grow from babies and toddlers to tweens and teenagers seemingly almost overnight. And as my motherly responsibilities have evolved and even decreased at home, I've began working full time outside the home.

This has given my husband and me very little quality time together. So imagine my surprise when John took a Saturday morning off from work and said those three magic words, "Let's go golfing." My first reaction was to remember my Saturday to-do list - vacuuming, washing and folding laundry, ironing and cleaning bathrooms. I also planned on taking a nap that afternoon and making a nice pot roast for dinner.

As I turned to my husband, ready to decline his offer, I tried to recall when I had last gone golfing. And then I tried to remember the last time we did anything together that didn't involve one of our kids.

Still stuck in the past, trying to define the time that had slipped by unnoticed, I looked at John and nodded. I responded with my own magical words, "I'll go get my clubs."

A short while later, we were teeing off at a nearby golf course, John at the manly gold markers (further away from the hole) and me at the womanly red markers (closer to the hole).

Over the next couple hours, as I navigated the golf course with my husband, I remember those eternal words spoken by Mark Twain, "Golf is a good walk spoiled."

As I consistently missed hitting the ball completely or skipped it down the fairway only 30 feet, I began to believe that Twain was a genius. And I was very grateful that only my husband was there to witness my return to the game. My conduct on the course was quite embarrassing.

It wasn't long before I began getting the little white ball into the air on the first hit; I was even keeping it in the short grass.

By mid-afternoon, we had grown tired of chasing the ball across acres of open terrain and decided to quit a couple holes early.

Looking back, I realize many might think we wasted the day attempting to play a very difficult game, using very little skill, only to quit early.

I would disagree. My husband and I spent the day together alone and had fun. And if Mark Twain were around today, I'd remind him that walking with your husband on or off a golf course is always good, no matter what.