10 years!

April 25th was our 10 year Wedding Anniversary. It’s hard to fathom. The time has gone by so fast and our marriage has gone from strength to strength. I don’t know where I would be without my life partner. I’d be somewhere I guess, but I can’t see it being any better than this. This is pretty much as good as it gets.

We didn’t buy each other expensive gifts in celebration. I got Dena’s engagement ring fixed (the diamond clasps where bent) and new clasp for the Celtic pendant I bought her 11 years ago on the day Diana’s death. Dena’s gift to me was truly thoughtful; a scroll of paper listing all that she loved about me over the years. It was one of the best gifts I have ever received.

As the years have passed various anniversary events in our relationship have strangely become commemorated by sadder events, not least our Wedding Anniversary which also commemorates the death of my dear friend Dave Radcliffe and reminds me “There but by the Grace of God go I”.

I say that because it is a popular cliché, but as Andy pointed out to me all those years ago as we watched unseen our friend Dave drinking away his Saturday afternoon (and the rest of his life) in a pub that was 4 doors down from Clowns coffee shop where Andy and I were going to hang out- we made a decision and Dave made a decision about what we wanted to do with our lives. Our decisions were simply different.

On Saturday Bob and Marty came down to Los Gatos and looked after the kids for the day and we headed off to Castle Rock State Park with a picnic that Dena had carefully prepared. Good cheese, good bread and chocolate coated strawberries for desert. Who could ask for more.