My wife and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary earlier this month.
It’s so very weird how fast time flies.
We went back to Napa Valley (where we had part I of our honeymoon) last month to celebrate our five year anniversary. It was the opposite of suck. I mean, look at this view! Last time, we stayed in someone’s charming AirBnb guesthouse and shared our outdoor space with chickens and goats. This time, we stayed in a pretty damned sweet boutique hotel right in downtown Napa and shared our outdoor space with older couples, roving bridal shower parties and also roving packs of inebriated and shouting techbros in from Silicon Valley. A good time was had by all.
It’s weird to think of where I was five years ago, let alone ten. An event happened last year that I don’t have the heart to write about just yet because it’s too raw. Some other time, maybe.
Two years ago, we moved to the same Portland neighborhood where our wedding was held, and in fact the wedding venue is now our local park. When we pass the gazebo overlooking the rose garden on the south end of the park we make sure to tell our daughter August that we were married there. Now she reminds us each time we go, which is very often.
In fact, my wife’s close friend and maid of honor visited us this last weekend and we all went back to the park. In stark contrast to the sedate but lovely affair from five years + a few days ago, the park was the setting for a joyously raucous and enormous family reunion. Our youngest son went into the fountain, wading waist deep for a happy while, and decided to reach for something by his toes which caused his entire face to become completely submerged for one agonizing second. I scooped him up quickly, so no worries there, but he did cough and sputter.
Our son’s great. Our daughter is great. My wife is great. My job is challenging but in a good way; I like helping build something lasting that will give back to the Portland community.