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Fifteen Years and Fifteen Reasons

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This photo was taken by my brother-in-law the morning after our wedding. I think we look pretty gosh-darned blissed out and that makes this one of our favorite photos ever. We did everything our way. Don was acting in a one-man show in Nevada City, CA, a beautiful little town in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. We got married on a Monday, his day off, at the historic National Hotel. I had a cast on my foot, having broken my ankle a couple of months earlier. We didn’t want to deal with all the logistics or expense of planning a big wedding, so with the blessing of our respective families, we planned a small ceremony. Well, I should correct that, Don did most of the planning because he was there. He found the site, he hired the photographer, he found the wonderful minister who gave us the gift of a beautifully and powerfully written ceremony. My brother and sister-in-law were there, along with two other dear friends. My sister-in-law Suzie escorted me down the long flight of stairs (I was so nervous with that cast on) and once I saw Don I started crying and didn’t stop through the whole ceremony. Don cried. Everyone cried. Afterward, we went on a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Nevada City and then we had dinner with our ‘wedding party.’ We were totally present for the whole thing, no nerves, no stress, just a beautiful and deeply moving ceremony of commitment where we heard and experienced every word, every emotion.

Without further ado, fifteen reasons (I could write many, many more) why I love my husband and our marriage:

• He took me by surprise. I was happily single and didn’t plan on ever marrying. But then I met Don and everything changed. It’s been a glorious adventure.

• He’s one of the kindest, most compassionate people I know.

• He’s talented. That’s an aphrodisiac, you know.

• He’s tall. I’m tall (5 ft. 9 in.) and he towers over me at 6 ft. 4 in.

• He’s a wise man who’s been through a lot in his life. He never stops trying to grow and be a better person.

• He’s smart.

• He’s helped me to be a better person in countless ways.

• He’s a great cook.

• He supports me in everything I do.

• He is a poet. The lyrics to his songs are works of art. And he writes romantic songs about me.

• He is wise and I seek his counsel. I value his opinion.

• He rescues spiders and dogs.

• He doesn’t judge me. He accepts me as I am.

• His commitment to me and our marriage is sure and steady as a rock.

• He makes me laugh. That, my friends, is the most important thing of all. Number one on my list. He is deeply, amazingly funny. By the way, I make him laugh, too.

Happy Anniversary, my love.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Comments

  2. I love this picture of the two of you. What a beautiful post. Happy anniversary to two amazing people. I hope your day is special and worry free!

  5. Happy anniversary Claudia! Love the photo. You both do look blissfully happy. I love your list. My husband ticks off every item on the list except he’s not a poet and he isn’t tall :) Don’t you just love him more each day? It’s wonderful to travel through life when you fit so well together. Enjoy your special day.

  7. I think you should take a similar “now” picture….I still think you look almost exactly the same:). You are a beautiful amazing couple. You are most blessed.
    I am equally as blessed with my husband:)
    Happy Anniversary day:)
    Terri

  13. Happy Anniversary Don and Claudia,
    What a sweet photo of you, you haven’t changed a bit…
    Here’s to many more joyous years together!
    xo
    Lori

  15. Congratulations!!! You are a great looking couple!
    I am glad you found each other. Many more years of happiness to you!
    I know you have talked of your family and was wondering if Don has any family . It is none of my business, but I was just curious after your comment about his many trials thru life.
    Have a great day both of you!! pam

    • He does have family, though both his parents are deceased. They divorced when Don was a young boy and there were tough times after that.

  16. Happy Anniversary to you both!! And, may you have many, many happy years together! Great pic of the two of you! ;)

  17. Happy Anniversary! You two are meant to be a forever couple. Thank you for inspiring me everyday!
    Hugs!

  19. Hi Claudia,

    Happy anniversary! Your first reason is exactly one of my reasons why I love my (newly married) husband, too!!! :-D

    Cheers,
    Linda

  21. Oh, my goodness, we almost share the same anniversary. Ours is tomorrow! Happy Anniversary, Don and Claudia!

    And you felt you were present through the whole ceremony! Not me. I forgot my bouquet, left it on my bed, and that’s all I thought about through the whole ceremony. I sometimes wonder if I’m legally married as I don’t remember hearing any of the vows! Well, 4 kids and 5 grandkids later, I better be!

    I love the picture. You do indeed look blissfully happy!

  22. Congratulations!!! Such a beautiful tribute to the love of your life. May you have many more years together full of happiness and joy.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

  24. This is so sweet, I love the photo…you both look smitten and proud of what you did! Your list is wonderful, too, however, you mentioned in three sentences that Don is wise, wise and smart. You owe us two new ones!! :)

    XO,
    Jane

    • Well I know a lot of smart people who I wouldn’t call wise. There’s a difference, right? As for wise, it can’t be said enough! In fact, I just might say it again, I’ll keep you guessing.

  25. Claudia & Don,
    Happy Anniversary !!!!!!!!!
    May you spend thousands more happy years together.
    Vanessa

  27. Happy Anniversary!
    It is so nice to see people who are obviously still in love after 15 years.
    I think you were meant to find each other!
    nancyr

  28. Happy Anniversary – you seem to have a near perfect relationship – soul mates, if you will. Congratulations!!

  31. Sincere congratulations and best wishes to the both of you. The picture is a keeper … and your wedding sounds divine. We, too, chose to be married in our own way in the historic Concord Inn in Concord, MA (home of the shot heard round the world) on a balmy (surprise!) evening in November 24 years ago. Only a few close friends and family were invited to the candlelight ceremony and wonderful wedding dinner. We created a wonderful memory as you and Don have done.

  33. Happy Anniversary wishes to you both. What a sweet and inspiring post. Wouldn’t it be good for any married couple to list reasons for love and marriage each anniversary? The photo of you two is blissful, indeed.

  35. Happy Anniversary, Claudia and Don!!! This was a beautiful tribute to your husband and a romantic story!! It is so refreshing to hear about two people who are married and love each other after many years together!!! I hope you have a wonderful day and celebrate your love together!!! And wishing you many, many more wonderful years!!! (P.S. – Love your picture – so adorable and filled with happiness!!! Francine

  38. Beautifully said! I’ve been married 52 years and still feel the same way about my husband.Aren’t we luckt!

  39. Clearly, you two are soul-mates. Pure and simple. Wonderful to hear that you KNOW how lucky you are too. Lucky to have found the Right Person – and lucky to still feel the same – and more – all these things later. I’m willing to bet the fact that neither of you was 18 at the time contributed to that. We really think we know everything when we’re young, don’t we? I myself had All of Life figured out at that age. In reality, I didn’t even KNOW what I didn’t know.

    PS – how refreshing to hear about a wedding whose logistics DIDN’T rival the Invasion of Normandy! I’m pretty tired of going to multiple showers and weddings for people who don’t stay married for even 5 years! The really big party shouldn’t be held until something has been accomplished – until there’s something to celebrate – like managing to stay together for X number of years. These blow-out technicolor weddings – which seem to be the norm now – are like having a graduation party before one even starts college!

    • What a perfect idea. No big party until the couple has stayed together a minimum of 5 years or 10 years! So much money spent for something that seems to be so easily dissolved nowadays. And yes, I was 41 when I met Don and he had just turned 43. He’d been married before. We both were older and wiser and ready to break our old patterns and make adult decisions. I know that I wouldn’t have been ready for that commitment when I was younger.

  41. Love the picture of the two of you, and I can see why it is one of your favorites.
    It really is special to see two people in love with each other, after being together
    for 15 years. DH and I get the look of surprise sometimes, when we tell people
    that we have been married 49 and 1/2 years, and are still together, and love and
    enjoy each other. Love is GOOD! Have a very HAPPY anniversary. Many happy hugs,
    to the two of you… bonnie

  42. Happy Anniversary. You were a lovely couple the and an even a lovelier couple now.

    So happy Scout is doing well.

    Carol Ann

  44. Happy Anniversary. I loved your touching comments. I know exactly where you were married. I started visiting in Nevada City way back in the 70s. I have wanted to move there for the longest time, or maybe Grass Valley due to snow in Nevada City. I was visiting up there one Thanksgiving and a snow storm came in and I had to leave town fast or I would have been stuck up there! My friends used to own the cab company for Nevada City/Grass Valley, oh what stories they had! And then of course the city sold their contracts out from under them sadly. I truly loved hearing about your wedding!

    • Thank you, Annette. We really love that area and sometimes talk of moving there, but there’s snow, at least in Nevada City. But it’s really charming, isn’t it?

  47. Happy Anniversary you two! Have a great day. May you celebrate many, many, many more happy anniversaries.

  50. Beautiful post! I love happy marriages. Congratulations to you both on 15 years of loving and learning and growing together.

  51. Happy l5th Anniversary Claudia and Don. I hope you have many, many more!
    I watch the Hallmark Movie ” The Christmas Card ‘ over and over, I Love it, especially the Location which I believe was filmed in Nevada City, California. What a wonderfully charming place to be married!

    Debbi

  52. Lucky in love is the best luck of all!! Happy Anniversary, and many many more!!

  55. Beautifully written, Claudia. I lost the love of my life 4 years ago to cancer. We had only 20 years together, but they were the best years. I want to tell every couple I know that life is fleeting. Take the time to truly appreciate what you have. And you do. Happy Anniversary.

  56. Dear Claudia and Don
    HAPPY 15TH ANNIVERSARY!!!!
    Two artistic souls who found each other – that’s fate – life is wonderful!
    This a truly beautiful post Claudia that has touched my heart. Your writing is so poignant.
    Your reasons for loving Don and your marriage are gorgeous – hang on to those.
    Much love
    Shane

  57. Happy Anniversary to you both! That is a lovely picture but it’s apparent that neither of you have lost the bliss over the years. I am so happy that you found each other! Love, J

  58. I can see the love shining in your eyes in this picture..best wishes to both of you for many many more loving years together..Hugs!!

  60. I love your blog, Claudia, but this is the first time I’ve left a comment. As we say here in Scotland, your post would “bring a tear to a glass eye” (actually we would say, “bring a tear tae a gless ee” but I didn’t think you would understand that!).

    My “gless ee” has teared up!

  65. That was beautiful.
    You are both so Blessed to have found each other.
    A very Happy Anniversary to both of you sweet hearts!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

  67. Happy Anniversary to you both, Claudia. Yours sounds like such a heartfelt and warm wedding, and marriage. I wish you both continued happiness together. Life never seems long enough, when we love in such a way, does it?

    xo
    Lena

  69. Happy Anniversary you two.

    I am so blessed of 52 years too. So may you continue also in healthy years and your love for each other never grows dim. Keep that light a blaze.

    You both look lovely now. You have not changed much perhaps older . Not old. There is a difference you know.

    Blessings and enjoy your day and the night.

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