The Black Banana reappears!

Tonight Geoff and I celebrated our 10 Year Anniversary. WOW!!! 10 Years. In a way, it seems like just yesterday that we were "hanging out" with each other in the Orem Young Adult Ward. In quite another way, I feel as though I have known no other life than with Geoff and our children.

Wedding Day: August 22, 1998

Geoff and I have a wedding mascot, something that adds to our anniversary festivities each year...the BLACK BANANA. It is to the black banana that we owe the beginning of our marriage and the last wonderful 10 years.

Here's the story...

Our first date was a spontaneous trip to St. George to visit the Anderson's, a family from my mission. During our 4 hour drive, Geoff offered to purchase a snack, and I requested 2 bananas (one for the next day). Geoff bought 3 and we each ate one that night and I saved the third for the next day. Unfortunately, I forgot to take it inside with me upon our arrival to the Anderson's home. Sitting there in the car in the blazing St. George heat produced horrific effects upon my banana. When I found it the next late morning, it was COMPLETELY black. Needless to say, I had no desire to eat a black banana. But Geoff insisted I eat it since I was so adamant about purchasing it the night before. When he wasn't paying attention, I shoved it under the seat to be dealt with later. At some point on our journey home, Geoff discovered the banana (he probably smelled it) and concealed it somewhere, so that I never saw or thought about it again on our trip.

We had a great time in St. George. We stayed up late and really enjoyed our time together. Geoff was a breath of fresh air for me. I absolutely loved being in his company, and was hopeful to spend more time with him.

A few days after we had returned from our St. George escapade, I got a bad cold and was home bound. Early in the evening, the door bell rang. I opened the door, but no one was there. On the door step was a blue construction mug filled with Echinacea and a horrific looking and smelling black banana. I picked up the note and read something to the effect of,

Follow this ancient Chinese remedy and you will return to full health in no time: '1 cup of Echinacea tea, followed immediately by a rotten black banana.'

I'll have to pull it out and read it again, but I'm sure he signed it romantically like, "yours always" or "affectionately" or "totally miserable until I can see you again," Geoff.

Of course that made my day, and NO I didn't eat the banana, but I drank the tea and soon felt much better. Geoff's birthday followed this incident by only a few days. I was anxious to return the attention and the banana! So I made him a beautiful cake, and stuck the now bleeding black banana on top and left it at his door. It was the grossest thing I've ever done. It was so very gross!

Well, that banana gave us quite a few good excuses to keep the flame a burnin. Eventually we laid the sorry banana to rest on one of the busy roads near BYU (so I thought).

Months later, after some serious dating ("hanging out" in Geoff's terminology), I got a little nervous and decided to call things off. It just so happened to be a few days before Valentine's day. Well, on the morning of the day we celebrate love, I received a note that lead me on a long and wild scavenger hunt. At the end of the hunt, I found a BLACK BANANA that Geoff had carved out of wood and this poem that he wrote:

Holy Hanna! A Black Banana!
It's come back from the dead!
Is this a dream? I heard it scream,
when a car ran over it's head.

Yes, it's back all right; he put up a fight,
From the grasp of the grave he darted;
Then hidden away, till he turned up today,
To remind us of how this all started.

So tell me Hanna, that black banana,
how'd it get that way?
It used to be yella; twas a gift from a fella,
but it sat in a car for a day.

Now it is trashy, it's gotten all mash,
I'd toss it if I had my druthers;
But hold on there Moses--try to smell the roses;
This banana is not like the others!

"To the trash!" It was sick, to one dude and a chick.
It was funn--but make no mistake;
For amazement did sore, it appeared on her door
Then made it's debut on his cake!

Well that old black banana, is nothing like manna,
and some folks may still say it's rotten;
But don't lay it to rest, 'cause it started the best...
Of times that will not be forgotten!"

(Here is the wooden banana & poem now carefully displayed in a shadow box)

Well, that little black banana won my heart. I quickly recognized how much I loved Geoff and how hard it was to be with out him, and he loved me as deeply too... and in only a few months we were engaged and married.

Now, 10 years later... The banana has reappeared. This time in a much more delicious form --fresh banana's with black fudge smothered all over it.

Here's our black banana celebration with this delicious banana cheesecake. The waiter really dressed it up for us--very fun!

Geoff so creatively wrote addendum 3650 to the original Black Banana Poem:

Holy Hanna, the black banana, ten years and still doing fine

A few more wrinkles and a little more squish, but nothing too out of line

That should be expected ten years is awhile’ to be tied to a ball and chain

That’s three thousand six hundred fifty long days; it would drive most bananas insane

But this one is different; it’s got class, it’s got grit; the bruises give it more style

This bananas the kind that gets better with age; It’ll still be around for awhile

That banana’s resurfaced again and again, you could say it’s become quite resilient

And that’s pretty important; it’s got to be tough since it stands for a marriage that’s brilliant

...(for JaNae's ears only)...

So when lemons are raining and going gets tough, step back and say, “holy Hanna”

Swing a few punches and take a few blows for that unsinkable banana

Feed it; water it; give it some love and keep the dialogue plenty

That will keep it happy for longer still. Heck, let’s try for another twenty.

Geoff is the best, literally. He is everything I could hope for in a husband He is supportive, fun, wise, exciting, humble, hardworking, creative, faithful to me and to the Lord. He is an amazing father, which adds to why I love him as a husband. He is a partner in the realest sense, he completes me and I love him dearly. Here's to another 2o years. Here's to eternity!