35th

112 Valhallavagen, apt. 3b

Our anniversary is today...1pm-ish if you are counting hours and 35 years later I still am.  Five year's back the mayor ventured out at 8am and we had our ceremony again; same spot. Not trying to top that one this year as things have been a bit chaotic of late.

We were married under two big,  now long gone, oak trees in her mom's front yard.  It was simple and to the point and very nice.  My dad was my best man. Her sister was her maid of honor of sorts. Her kids stood over by the porch with my mom...not quite sure what to make of things.

We spent the night across the street in my brother in law's house and went to Stockholm for our honeymoon (working honeymoon) early the next day.  We flew Lufthansa and the  movie was "1984"...utterly romantic with a cigar smoking clod in the seats across the isle.  We can laugh about it now.  

Stockholm is and was wonderful in July. I had a sublet on Valhallavagen and Sturgarten across from the Olympic Stadium (viewable from the windows) and we had a grand time of it.  We had spent several weeks there on a work-holiday a short while before so she had a good idea  of the city. She grew adept at finding stores with REA in the window.    I'd been living there for work off and on for a couple years prior but have to admit that those wanderings were a pale comparison to tromping around with a partner.  Some of my/our local friends from Moscow made a big deal of our wedding and we had some wonderful times out and about. Sigh.  But mostly we took our time, looked everywhere, and built a very fond memory bank.

Now that I'm well older, I get to give advice and offer the wisdom of a sage.  Anniversaries of life events or just meaningful happenings are to be enjoyed and not ignored. One needs to savor "why" they are notable and memorable.  Who knows when or, more importantly in keeping with the situation, if you are going to have another.

Funny the things that you remember after all this time. Cracking lobsters the night before for the salad, talking about the ghost in her old house, my dad putting her wedding ring in his pocket, changing his pants for the ceremony and then flying around trying to find it - sure that he had ruined everything...do it again in a heartbeat.