Of Anniversaries & Adding Up the Years

Hotel Boulderado, June 22, 1996. (I didn't stutter.) A good day with some great cake!

—Three apartments.

—One cantankerous cat. (R.I.P Newman)

—Four houses.

—Two beloved yellow dogs. (R.I.P Rio and Bravo)

—Nine cars.

—One crazy night drinking cider (a.k.a monkey juice) in a Spanish citadel.

—Two encounters with cancer.

—One unforgettable afternoon drinking beer(s) in an Oktoberfest tent in Munich.

—Numerous finish lines crossed, sweating (him), praying (me), very relieved (both of us).

—One night of skinny-dipping in the Caribbean after bribing a hotel security guard to get lost for a few hours.

—One trip to the ER for post-race stitches.

—One afternoon sailing across a sadly monsterless Loch Ness while the RAF soared above.

—Nearly 19,000 Taco Tuesday dinners.

—One afternoon rowing a Viking ship across a Danish fjord.

—And, one global pandemic.

I’m less than proficient at mathing, so there’s no way I can calculate all that The Weed and I have enjoyed during the past 25 years.

What I can do is say there’s no one else I’d rather be living this life with.

The cake was delicious!

Tomorrow, June 22, we will celebrate 25 years of marriage.

There have been some truly memorable times. (I didn’t even mention Amsterdam.)

There have been some terribly dark times. (I didn’t even mention the day The Weed discovered a gray chest hair. Dios Mio!)

I, politely, dare anyone to share 25 years together and not crash out every now and again.

For past notable anniversaries, we’ve visited some fun places. See: Jamaica, Scandinavia, and Greeley, CO. (HA!!)

This year, we’re doing things a little differently. We’ll be hitting the road to adventure through some Colorado cities we’ve never seen before, and one we both love dearly. I’ve dubbed this the ‘2021: Summer of Love Road Trip.’ (I’m not very creative.)

So, if you’ve ever been to Crested Butte, Ouray, Telluride, or Vail, feel free to share some high points we should see or gin joints we should drink beers in.

I am excited for our time in Ouray, where we will visit the Twin Peaks Lodge & Hot Springs which looks just as shabby and haunted as the David Lynch TV show The Weed and I adore.

Tomorrow, we have pledged to purchase no gifts, exchange no cards. We will mark the occasion with, you guessed it, a Taco Tuesday meal likely prepared at the neighborhood taqueria that has some of the best green chilies and chicken tacos…and, a cucumber margarita that makes me believe in the healing properties of gourd fruit.

Looking back, 25 years is a long time. The laugh lines on my face prove just how fun it all has been.

We’ve had a fortunate life together. I hope the next 25 years will be just as boisterous and beautiful.

All shined up and ready to party...25 years ago. The celebration was so fleek guests from a nearby wedding crashed and took over the dance floor. Good times!