Today is our 5th wedding anniversary!  I thought it would be a good time to reminisce with a photo essay.  On February 11, 2010, Leon and I woke up in the wee hours of the night to catch our flight to Chicago and then Miami.  From there, we rented a car and drove to Key West.  The next day, we went off to the courthouse to get our marriage licence.  While walking around town, our wedding planner/officiant called to ask if we could move the wedding up to 1pm rather than wait till sunset.  It seems there was a major storm coming and we wouldn’t be able to get married on a sailboat if we waited any longer.  We opted to get to the boat early.

The ceremony was touching even if we had to hang on to the mast for fear of falling overboard.  The captain managed to hold her steady as we had our pictures taken and toasted with a glass or two of champagne.  My only regret today is that I wish my memory was sharper so I could remember each detail.  It just seemed to have gone so quickly.  After the ceremony, we got back to shore and enjoyed some time to relax before our planned wedding dinner.  We managed to make it to Mallory Square for a short visit at sunset before the skies opened up and we had to run for cover.  After dinner, we enjoyed a late night swim and spent some time watching the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

The next 2 days in Key West were spent visiting the town, enjoying some seafood and good drinks.  I was happy that Leon was able to spend the rest of that week in Ottawa with me before returning to his house in Langley, BC.  Later that week, we had a tropical themed party with some of our friends to celebrate our marriage.

So here we are 5 years later.  In that time we’ve lived apart for 6 months, moved to Australia for a year, sold a couple of houses and decorated this house, our first home, to reflect our tastes. We’ve travelled from coast to coast more than once in our trusty Roadie and visited a few Caribbean locations.  And recently, we’ve embarked on a new adventure.  As I write this, Leon has been in BC for 4 weeks, seeking the nomination for the Liberal Party in Langley-Aldergrove.  We’ve been “interviewing” locations to retire in for some time now in anticipation of my retirement in 2016.  My time living with Leon in Langley in 2010 was the determining factor in making our choice.  Let’s face it, I’d much rather live by the ocean, but if I can’t afford an ocean view, I might as well live in a comfy home where I can drive to the ocean in under an hour (let’s not forget the mountain view).

So, there you have it.  Five years have gone by and we are once again living apart, looking forward to our next adventure together.

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