Wednesday, September 12, 2012

silver

In September 1987, DH and I took a train to the American Embassy in Tokyo, where a consul performed a quick and simple ceremony. Afterwards we had lunch at the Imperial Hotel with the two friends who had been our witnesses, then DH and I flew to Sapporo for the weekend.

Thus were we married.

Fast forward 25 years and low key is still the name of the game around here. We talked about ways we might celebrate this purported milestone, but nothing really appealed. The kids both had classes, and we were all in the middle of a busy month.

In the end we went out for breakfast, browsed books at the library, made lunch and worked on projects around the house. Then we sat and played ukulele together. I showed DH what I'd learned at the recent Wine Country Uke Fest, and we tried a couple of basic duets.

Dinner was miso ramen, a nod to our honeymoon city of Sapporo. And after dinner C, who a few summers ago was "ordained" through the Universal Life Church, officiated as we renewed our vows on the deck. S brought the rings, now a couple sizes too small, and Maggie played the part of the rude and noisy guest.

It was just right.
C in impromptu clerical collar, trying to look priestly
S the ring bearer
After dinner we sat around and reminisced about what 25 years had brought us. In addition to the boys, we can mark our marriage by having:

traveled in 8 countries
lived in 3 of those countries
bicycled the perimeters of 2 of them
rented 4 apartments
slowly fixed up one house, and then another
kept 5 dogs, 5 cats, 1 goat, 1 sheep and countless chickens

And of course, the Silver Anniversary is so named because of all the silver hair, right?

What are the numbers in your life?



10 comments:

  1. Our numbers may be too many to count, but I love the way yours have added up... Congratulations!
    This is a lovely account of lovely lives. Happy Anniversary!

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    1. Thank you, Natalie. I can only imagine your numbers! Would love to see them sometime. :)

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  2. Sounds very, very sweet. I loved reading about it - loved seeing your officiants. Funny how your wedding party has changed!

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    Replies
    1. Still small, but a little more unruly! Thank you for taking the time to comment. :)

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  3. Sounds like a lovely and fitting celebration. I'll have to keep C in mind next time I need something 'officiated!'

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    1. Thanks, Stacey! Actually, I'm also certified, though I don't look as good in clerical clothing. :)

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  4. Happy Anniversary, what a perfect day. I cant't imagine it being any better. Hmmm, DH and I have rented 1 house, owned 1 house (8 years today!) Travelled to 1 other country together, kept 1 cat (while dating), a dozen fish, 74 frogs, and two bunnies, does two kids count? Happily married 10 years and it's getting better each year. We are very low key about celebrations as well here.

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    Replies
    1. I love your story and your numbers, and now I also have a blog post request for you: 74 frogs?! I need to hear about this. :)

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