Laid-Back Anniversaries

It’s our fourth anniversary today. I know that’s not really a milestone (insofar as any year’s anniversary is one); that’ll come next year, with our fifth. But I don’t see us doing anything bigger next year than we’ll do this year. Like with everything else, Jon and I don’t make that big of a deal of our anniversary. We don’t even get each other gifts. That’s something we stopped doing before we were even married. The first year or two we were dating we got each other anniversary presents, but that ceased by the time we graduated from college. I … Continue reading →

An Anniversary Gift Like No Other

I was sitting here looking through our memory box and came across a tradition that my husband and I started on our first anniversary. For the last 12 years on our anniversary we give each other a poem that we wrote. Now it sounds corny and trust me we will never be professional poets we are lucky if they rhyme one or two lines. I was flipping through our book of poems and reading them you can tell what was going on in our lives around that time. When we were having medical issues you could tell in that years … Continue reading →

The Perfect Anniversary Gift

Anniversary presents can cause trouble, especially if they’re not what the person was expecting or hoping for. In a magazine I had to chuckle as I read about a woman who was delighted by her husband’s suggestion of a gift subscription to GoodReading magazine. She went on to explain two reasons why his gift was so appreciated. The first was because in the past his presents for special occasions left a lot to be desired. In fact the editor of the magazine had to censor her comments in the letter which gives a pretty fair idea of what she thought … Continue reading →

Traditional and Modern Anniversary Gifts for Your Spouse

Whether it is your first anniversary or your 50th, you ma be wondering what the traditional gift is for that year. It may be fun to stick with the theme. But what if the gift is for your spouse? Would he or she really be happy with some of these gifts? I’ll tell you the traditional and modern gifts that are associated with anniversary years and give you some suggestions for giving your spouse a great gift that fits with the theme. First Anniversary Traditional: Paper Modern: Clock Suggestions: Why not use a piece of paper to write a poem … Continue reading →

A Blind Date Leads to Love and Years

I never went on a blind date, although I tried (unsuccessfully, I might add) to arrange one or two. But for one couple a blind date turned out to be just the beginning. That blind date was over 50 years ago. This year the couple, Nancy and James Hibbert of Australia, achieved something statistics show only about five percent achieve – they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. When asked the secret to a long and happy marriage the Hibberts, who live at Culburra Beach, replied ‘give and take.’ And really, that sums it up in a nutshell. That’s exactly the … Continue reading →

Forgotten Anniversary

I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. Seems like every woman I know has at least one similar tale. Here’s mine: Yesterday Wayne forgot it was our anniversary. How I Envisioned the Day I’d ordered an “In This Home” framed print from Catalog Favorites two months ago to give him on our anniversary. I had planned on being up early to greet him with a pancake breakfast after his run. Then I’d give him his card and present. I’d hoped he’d surprise me with a ring to replace the one I broke. Or perhaps had gotten my … Continue reading →

If I Had To Do My Wedding All Over Again…

Was your wedding absolutely perfect? Or do you ever think, now that you’re older and wiser, that there might be some things you’d do differently if you had it to do all over again? I’d do a couple of things differently. The Date When it came to picking a date, I really didn’t put much thought into it. I know at one point I’d thought maybe May 15 might be a good date, because that was the first day we met. However, we ended up rushing matters thanks to Wayne’s aunt. (Who I adore, make no mistake.) If it wasn’t … Continue reading →

Celebrating Our Proposalversary

For Wayne and I today is more than just Valentine’s Day. It’s also our Proposalversary! We’re celebrating Proposalversary number 14. Hard to believe it was Valentine’s Day 1994 when Wayne (finally!) proposed. Seems like just yesterday! Or maybe I want the memory to linger since it was such a long time coming. (If you’re curious about the “proposal story,” such as it is, see: Shopping for Engagement Rings: Go With or Be Surprised?) Neither of us was expecting to be together today. Wayne’s been busy with work so he was even more at a disadvantage than me. I at least … Continue reading →

Happy Anniversary – Disney Magic

Wow, I woke up this morning at 4:15 a.m. with a half-formed yelp and a huge sigh of relief. I was dreaming that it was my wedding day again and the woman who did my hair and make-up was there to torture me. I loved getting married and I loved getting married at Disney World, but I started getting ready for the wedding at 4:30 in the morning because they were doing all my bridal pictures at 6 a.m. in the empty Magic Kingdom. Happy Anniversary Today marks 8 years since we tied the knot in Disney World and we’ve … Continue reading →

Interpreting Paper: A Tale of a First Year Anniversary Gift

When Wayne and I lived in Jacksonville we became close friends with another couple named Thais (pronounced Thai, like the country, and “eese” as in “geese”) and Wladmir (his parents were Polish so his name’s spelled with a W but is pronounced with a V, as in Vlad). Thais and Wlad They had moved from Brazil to Jacksonville a year or two before Wayne and I. They weren’t married when they first got there. They had known each other since Thais was about 15 because she was good friends with Wlad’s younger sister. But it wasn’t until almost 10 years … Continue reading →