Welcome to Dan's Soup!

Hi, my name is Dan, and I am getting married on September 11. I just got an email from my fiancé, Amanda, and apparently she has made a web page about our wedding. It is only appropriate that I publish one as well. So, here it is. This page will answer the question; 'Why am I getting married?' Amanda has already told us about the love at first sight and all that, but I must confess, there is something else.My best friend's name is Matt. He is like a brother to me. In fact, his brothers are like brothers to me. A couple of years ago, I was talking with Matt and his brother Jay, and I revealed to them my intention to marry Amanda. (I look to them for guidance as I am naive beyond my years.) Matt then told me about a special wedding night consommé, and Jay, with ten years of experience, added that it only gets better with thyme. So now you know, I am in it for the soup!Here, then, is how I imagine my life/soup with Amanda.Wedding Night - Consommé - Simple, substantial, a base to build on.First Anniversary - Tomato - Spicier than the consommé, deeply satisfying. Possibly served with a sandwich.Second Anniversary - With daughter Hazel on the way, Amanda alternates between cuddling and lashing out in anger. The soup is a cold bitter gazpacho.Fifth Anniversary - Hazel has pink eye. The soup, of course, is chicken noodle. Chicken was free range, vegetables from Amanda's garden.Tenth Anniversary - Paella! - Not exactly a soup, but served in a large bowl. Rice, meat, seafood, vegetables, saffron. This is the royal treatment. This is a happy home.Fifteenth Anniversary - Hazel plays her viola night and day. She has declared herself as a vegetarian, (which sort of makes us all vegetarian.) The soup is cream of garden fresh asparagus.Twentieth Anniversary - With Hazel away at Juilliard, the soup is an elegant and sexy French onion. Jay was right, it is better with thyme.Twenty fifth Anniversary - Hazel has a son on the way. She is lashing out. Her mother is supportive. The soup is a cold bitter gazpacho. Hazel is now a vegan. (I had been wondering which way she would go.)Thirtieth Anniversary - Split Pea - Amanda will not eat this, but she makes it for me. Thank you, Love.Fortieth Anniversary - I am sitting in the living room with my grandson watching the Cubs game. (I am still waiting for a World Series victory.) My grandson has made me my 'soup'. This consists of dropping a bullion cube into a warmed glass of water. This is just a ritual, as I have not been able to taste the soup for many years now. Last week when I was at my doctor's office, he told me that there is a new pill that will restore my ability to taste the soup. He is explaining that you take a pill once in the morning, and can then taste soup anytime during that day. I am reading the brochure that he has just handed me. 'Side effects include, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Tongue swollen for more then 4 minutes, though rare, is life threatening, consult a physician immediately.' 'That's O.K, Doc,' I say, 'turns out, there's more to it than just the soup after all.'