🎵Will You Remember the Times of Your Life?🎵

I have been cohabiting with the same man for fifty years and by anyone’s standards, that’s a long, long time. Don’t worry. This isn’t going to be a lengthy, boring description detailing the minutiae of those fifty years, but rather a celebration of where we are at today, because where we are at today is pretty darn wonderful. We are healthy and happy….most of the time that is. Who could ask for more?

The Night We Met

When I show people the picture of us on the night we met, their response is usually one of dismay. After all, what are the chances of capturing a random event that would ultimately lead to marriage? Not many people have a picture of the night they met, and I’m thankful we are among the lucky few.

I’m sure people also notice how young we looked then and how much older we look now. Time definitely marches on so it’s not a surprise. Perhaps more of a stark reminder that we are now in our “twilight” years. Nonetheless it’s a treasured keepsake.

The Day We Married

Our life together began on a warm, sunny August day in 1972. I remember it well. (Actually, fifty years later, my memories of the day are somewhat vague.)

It was definitely a family affair. Middle Sis was my Maid of Honor and Little was my Flower Girl. Daisies were my theme flower. If you look closely at our bouquets, though, you will see a distinct brown tinge on all of them. The flowers were delivered much too early and in an attempt to keep them fresh and on the advice of my father, who I mistakenly thought knew everything there was to know about everything, I put them in the freezer. I know…. You’re probably gasping in disbelief. The memory still haunts me. Just kidding. We rescued the few flowers that had escaped “death,” held our heads up high and smiled though our hearts were aching. Again, just kidding.

Speaking of smiling, you’ll notice in the accompanying photo that both the Bride and the Maid of Honor did just that, while the Flower Girl looks a bit “grumpy.” In her defense, she was under strict orders from me to keep her mouth closed and under no circumstances was she to smile. Why you might ask? Well, she was six years old and had lost a few front teeth. Frankly, I was astounded when she did exactly as I told her. She looks grumpy in all of the pictures. (Sadly, since then she hasn’t listened to a word I say.)☺️

I’m sure there were many more memorable moments but these are the only two that I clearly remember. What I do know, is that from that point on, life moved at lightning speed. Suddenly we were the parents of three and today find ourselves the grandparents of five, and in laws to two wonderful people.

50 years Later…..

Although 49 of our anniversary celebrations had been very low key, our children were determined that not only would this anniversary be an event to remember, but it would be a surprise. And when we were informed that fewer than 5% of married couples make it to the 50 year mark, we knew we were special and deserved recognition. Hence this would be a gala affair, a symphony of sorts, so I liken it to an overture and a grand finale with lots of fun in between.

We chose to host the family at a beautiful VRBO in the Okanagan. It had the requisite pool, an incredible view and lots of room for everyone to spread out. Our children took it from there.

The Overture

The fun began with a 70’s Night. We were taken back in time with costumes, a photo station, a trivia quiz and a barbecue. There was even a slide show of special moments over the years. We were astounded at the effort and attention to detail and it was so much fun! Our children had done an amazing job! But wait. There’s more…

The Grand Finale

The next night was even more spectacular. We were blessed with beautiful weather, and the company of special people. It was an evening we will never forget.

Where to begin? There is so much to tell, but I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

The setting was beautiful. We were joined by 18 special Humans and one special Canine named Biscuit.

Our Party Planners Extraordinaire. Not only did they nail it, they managed to surprise us too. It was a truly magical evening. We are so proud and grateful.

And the next generation. They are our pride and joy

But the pictures don’t tell the whole story. There was a cake with our original cake topper, and the engraved knife we used to cut it, our fifty year old photo album, our original sterling champagne goblets, fifty year old champagne (it was awful) and my wedding head piece. The highlight of the evening was best wishes from our Prime Minister. Those of you who know me well, understand what it means to me.

How do you put into words what the evening meant to us? How many times can you say thank you and how many times do you feel the tears coming on? (They did in fact come on)

You might be familiar with Paul Anka’s song, 🎵The Times of Your Life🎵 (if not, you are probably under fifty so don’t worry about it). But this I know for sure. We will definitely remember this time of our life…..Forever and ever.❤️