(For politics, please scroll down)
Mr. AOW and I tied the knot on June 17, 1972. Today, we are celebrating our sapphire anniversary:
From Wedding Anniversary by Years:
...Most Popular Song 45 Years Ago: "THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE" - Roberta Flack...
...I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time my love...
Addendum at the suggestion of FreeThinke...Below the fold are two photos of the sapphire-and-diamonds pendant that Mr. AOW presented me for our 45th anniversary. These photos do not do justice to the pendant!
Congratulations! In two weeks, Mrs Farmer and I will celebrate #39...
ReplyDelete...ooops #38. I can't subtract anymore!
DeleteThirty-eight years is an accomplishment!
Delete45 is an even greater one! Kudos!
DeleteSurely Mrs. Farmer should be given a Special Award for Patience and Endurance though, perhaps she might not agree. };^)>
DeleteSeriously, CONGRATULATIONS to you, and she, FJ.
By her good Grace, we're still together... thanks, FT!
DeleteHappy Anniversary, AOW and Mr. AOW.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS to BOTH of YOU!
ReplyDeleteIt takes more than natural attraction and affection to succeed in marriage. It takes DEVOTION –– unswerving faith, patience, courage, perseverance in the face of adversity, and a daily dose of vigorous, unyielding determination.
You, AOW, have demonstrated an abundant supply of all those increasingly rare qualities. Whether because you have been given a Gift by God, or simply as a mark of your own unique character doesn't matter. You are to be commended on all counts in either case.
For better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish ...
You both have kept those vows, even though I'm sure it has not always been easy.
Anyone who thinks marriage should be all moonlight and roses, champagne and caviar, sweet music, and endless bliss must be a LIBERAL. ];^}>
REAL, down-to-earth people, –– like the two of you, –– know that Stress, Strain, Heartache, Disappointment and Disillusionment are inevitable, and the way we CHOOSE to deal with them determines or character and disposition.
As theologian Oswald Chambers said somewhere in his writings, "The strain is the [source of our] strength."
I hope your entire household may thoroughly ENJOY some time off from wrestling with demons politicla and otherwise, and do something out of the ordinary to celebrate this great occasion.
PLEASE come back with a HAPPY REPORT.
FT,
DeleteThank you for your kind words.
Life here for the past 8 years, from the day that Mr. AOW suffered a life-altering stroke, has been difficult. But love does conquer all!
do something out of the ordinary to celebrate this great occasion
We have dinner plans! Now that my appetite has somewhat returned, I'm looking forward to a few treats -- crab bisque at my favorite local restaurant.
The dinner plans include The Merry Widow and MJB, one of my former students whom I mentored for some 8 years and who just graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a masters degree (political science, if I'm not mistaken).
With MJB at the table, there will have to be at least some political yodeling. LOL! But we never let our political yodeling get out of hand in a public place.
A Johns Hopkins degree in Political Science! Hoo boy! The Left maintains a ubiquitous, hulking presence EVERYWHERE, doesn't it?
DeleteOh well, I'm sure your dinner will be a great success regardless. Any student of yours couldn't possibly be taken over comletely by Marx-inspired ideology, I should think.
Hey! I happen to be a past master at making shrimp, crab and lobster bisque. I was famous for it –– among a select circle of friends and business associates –- when I lived in Sussex County, Delaware.
If it were possible I'd love to make a big potful for you. Unfortunately, it doesn't travel well. (:-[
At any rate, I hope all four of you thoroughly ENJOY your evening OUT.
FT,
DeleteMJB hasn't moved to the Left at all. What a pleasant surprise to discover that during dinner this afternoon!
BTW, the crab bisque at the restaurant was superb!
Very happy to hear your evening OUT was a success. No one I know deserves a pleasant break more than you and Mr. AOW –– and TMW, the lovely lady now helping you both so much.
DeleteGreat news that your former student has not been corrupted by the "prevailing wind" in academia! I think you must take at least partial credit for that.
Anniversary surprise gift!
ReplyDeleteYesterday, Mr. AOW had TMW take him to a coins-and-jewelry shop, where he bought me a gorgeous sapphire-and-diamonds teardrop pendant. This piece of jewelry is an antique, and I love it! Wearing it 24/7!
WOW! That's BEAUTIFUL! Not just the gift, itself, which sounds exquisite, but as the tangible evidence of Mr. AOW's love and appreciation of all you have meant to him and the two of you to each other. I know it took a special effort for him to find such an appropriate gift, and that makes it all the more wonderful.
DeletePerhaps you'll be good enough to publish a picture of your anniversary gift if it becimes convenient? I know many would love to see it.
As you know, I love antiques probably because each is unique, handmade, and can't be ordered mass-produced from a catalogue. It's always something of an adventure finding wonderful things in unusual places. Makes for great memories too.
Many long yewars ago I found a couple of great items on a trip to DUMBARTON OAKS. It was glorious autumn day, and right across the street from the great house a full-fledged estate sale was spilling out onto the sidewalk. The few things I bought there have held a place of honor in my house ever since –– not because they have great monetary value, but because they evoke a clear vision that enables me to relive a near-perfect day in great detail.
Looking back I realize the wonder, the beauty and the sweetness always outweigh the misery we must experience, though few of us realize it till later on.
Hello, young lovers, wherever you are
I hope your troubles are few.
All my good wishes go with you tonight.
I've been in love like you.
Be brave, young lovers, and follow your star;
Be brave and fathful and true.
All my good wishes go with you tonight.
I've been in love like you.
I know how it feels to have wings on your heels
And to fly down the street in a trance.
You'll fy down the street on the chance that you'll meet,
And you'll meet –– not really by chance.
Dont cry, young lovers, whatever you do
Don't cry because I'm alone.
All of memories are happy tonight;
I've had a love of my own.
I've had a love of my own like yours.
I've had a love of my own.
~ Oscar Hammerstein II, The King and I (1951)
The King and I is one of my favorite musicals. I've enjoyed every version I've ever seen.
DeleteIt was the very first Broadway musical I ever saw. I was ten at the time, and got to see Yul Brunner and beloved Gertrude Lawrence, the original Mrs. Anna, in the roles they created just a week before she succumbed to the cancer that was eatng her alive. [We didn't know how ill she was at the time, and no one in the audience could have suspected it from the beautiful performance she gave.]
DeleteIt was an unforgettable expperience that has stayed with me –– and nourished my spirit –– for more years than you've been alive. Imagine that! ;-)
The other day, I realized with a bit of amazement that Mr. AOW and I have been married longer that many of the parents of my students. Makes me feel old, old, old!
ReplyDeletePlease try not to look at it that way, dear friend. I am eleven years older than you, and I STILL don't even begin to feel old.
DeleteLike good antiques and fine wine the older a person of high quality and laudable ambition gets the finer and more valuable he or she becomes.
BELIEVE IT, and IT WILL be TRUE, I promise.
I like how you think :)
DeleteMr. AOW and I were hoping to go to Steubenville, Ohio, for this weekend -- for the Dean Martin Festival.
ReplyDeleteWe've been to the festival at least three times. It was like stepping back in time.
Alas! We can no longer go to Steubenville. The town is not handicapped friendly. Steubenville is on the fall line and tough to negotiate on a scooter and a hemi-walker. Forget getting into the best eaterie in town: the Naples Spaghetti House. Mr. AOW loves Italian food.
What's more, parking in Steubenville is a nightmare! Especially with a handicapped van.
Besides, my health being what it is, it's not a good idea to try such a grueling road trip.
But we're getting a virtual visit to the 2017 Dean Martin Festival, celebrating the centennial of his birth, via the blog I Love Dino Martin.
A June bride! Congrats to you both...
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that with so many young people delaying marriage these days, they won't have the chance to grow up married or get close to 45 years.
Celebrate well...
That really is sad...and those young people will not know the pleasure of falling back in love with your best friend in spite of a spat here and there and how valuable and fulfilling that is!
DeleteDave,
Deleteso many young people delaying marriage these days, they won't have the chance to grow up married or get close to 45 years
I've thought about that from time to time. Too bad for them, IMO.
Dave,
DeleteI was indeed a June bride -- although we had originally planned for a December wedding. But then Mr. AOW got a sudden two weeks of leave from the Army, so we changed out plans so as to have a June wedding.
The church was one that had only recently hired me as organist and choir master. And the minister who officiated became our lifelong friend (until he suddenly passed away from colon cancer a few years later).
Best wishes and congratulations to you and Mr. AOW. Have a lovely time!
ReplyDeleteBunkerville,
DeleteWe had a wonderful afternoon and evening yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to work in the morning (piano lesson and private tutoring for Latin and SAT prep).
Congratulations to you both - and with God's blessing may you have many more years together!
ReplyDeleteMustang,
DeleteThank you, my friend.
So happy for you both, Mr and Mrs AOW :-) Here's to many happy healthy years to come!
ReplyDeleteZ,
DeleteWe vote for healthy!
FT typed in: Perhaps you'll be good enough to publish a picture of your anniversary gift if it becimes convenient? I know many would love to see it.
ReplyDeleteI have now added photos to this blog post -- as an addendum below the fold.
Thank you, AOW. It's every bit as lovely as I thought it would be. Sapphire's are fascinating.
DeleteFT,
DeleteI have quite a few pieces of sapphire jewelry.
BTW, the darker the stone, the more it is worth. Just an FYI.
45 is impressive! Congratulations, and wishes for many more!
ReplyDeleteMike,
DeleteAt the restaurant, I teased the waitress:
"We've been married longer than you've been alive."
She didn't know how to respond. LOL.
Congratulations, friend. Forty-five is very impressive. Enjoy this day and many more.
ReplyDeleteCube,
DeleteWe had a wonderful day!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Warren.
DeleteWe were all decked out in a finery yesterday -- well, finery by our senior citizen definition.
And the food coma allowed us to sleep well last night.
I hope it is a Wonderful Day for Both of You !
ReplyDeleteKid,
DeleteWe were in a food coma last night. Heavenly!
Happy belated 45th!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a blessed tomorrow, also.
Ed,
DeleteWe're celebrating today, too. We have wonderful leftovers from yesterday's dinner out at our favorite restaurant for special occasions: J. Gilbert's. Mr. AOW has leftover ribs, and TMW and I have leftover Kansas City Strip Steak.
My former student MJB took home leftovers too: Chicken Caesar Salad.
J. Gilbert's is pricey, but the portions are huge. We always carry home boxes of leftovers for at least one more meal.
Congratulations! Glad it was a wonderful day. (You got married on Bunker Hill day!)
ReplyDeleteBaysider,
DeleteYes, Bunker Hill Day.
And Watergate Day, too. LOL.
Congratulations, all my best wishes
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you and Mr. AOW. May God bless you with many more happy years together.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS and BEST WIHSES! While I'd like to be more original, suffice it to say that so many fine well wishers, here, have contributed such with efficacy!
ReplyDelete