Saturday, July 15, 2017

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2007, on our wedding anniversary. There was a lot going on in this photo. We had Mattie's big inflatable pool on the deck, which took over almost 2/3's of the space and we had Mattie's sandbox on the deck too (lower right hand corner, in green). If you look closely you can see Patches' (our calico cat) ears, as she used to like sitting outside with us. But why I am showing you this photo? Because on the table we had two goblets, one was blue and the other cranberry colored. On our anniversary we used to take these goblets out and toast the occasion. Why? Because these goblets belonged to my paternal grandparents, who were also married on July 15. 



Quote of the day: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love. ~ Carl Sagan


Amazing after all these years! Today Peter and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary. We met each other 29 years ago, when we were teenagers. Marriages are always faced with challenges, but knowing that our union produced Mattie, who developed cancer and died, is the ultimate test of a relationship. However, some bonds can not be problem even by cancer.

If you were to ask Peter how we met, he would tell you the tale of our encounter in college. We were in the same dorm, and our floor had a common kitchen. While I was in the kitchen one day, he passed by whistling and playing with his soccer ball. Apparently he saw me, and instead of passing by came into the kitchen to talk with me. His opening line to me was.... "how is choir going?" At which point I looked at him and said..... "why do you want to know?" Peter then said, "because I am in choir with you." Honestly I don't remember seeing Peter in choir and I frankly did not believe him when he told me he was in choir. So at which point, Peter marched down the hallway to my friend Dave's room, as Dave was in choir with us. Peter woke Dave up and asked him whether he was in choir with us. Dave turned to me and said, "of course Vicki!"
Boy was I embarrassed! In any case, thanks to Peter's persistence, and he would also say the help to his TV.... since I liked watching Days of Our Lives each day, the rest is history!!!

When we got married in 1995, there was NO SUCH THING at digital photography. So literally we took a photo of a photo to share memories of our special day on this blog. 

Though we were living in Washington, DC in 1995, we decided to have our wedding in Scarsdale, NY, where I grew up and most of our family and friends lived. We even got married in the church we used to attend when I was living in New York. 

There was a lot of activity in my room before the wedding. Which of course included a photographer capturing these special moments. 

The day we got married it was over 100 degrees with humidity. I am not sure how any of us managed photos outside for what seemed like an hour. 

Peter and I with my parents. 

Peter and I with Peter's parents.

Me with my lifetime friend and maid of honor, Karen. Karen and I have known each other since 6th grade!

I still keep in contact with three out of my four bridesmaids. Karen is my lifetime friend from NY, and Jen and Colleen are wonderful friends I met when pursuing a master's degree at Boston College. My fourth bridesmaid is Christina, who we went to college with, but unfortunately we lost track of her when she moved to Colorado. 

Left to right: Jen, Karen, me, Colleen, and Christina

Peter and our groomsmen. 

Left to right: Rich (a childhood friend of Peter's), Dave (the same person who Peter woke up to prove we were in choir together), Peter, Chris (Peter's brother), and David (Jen's, one of our bridesmaids, husband)

All of us together standing outside in TREMENDOUS heat!

In honor of the day we went to Chez Francois. It is my favorite restaurant to celebrate special events and occasions. Their outdoor patio is like no other. It is so relaxing and peaceful, as you are surrounded by trees, beautiful plantings, and have hummingbirds and butterflies flying by. 

Peter and I both appreciate the stellar service at the restaurant. They follow old world traditions and they pace the meal so you are never rushed. Which is UNHEARD of today in our fast paced world. 

There are gardens and fountains that surround us. This was one of the scenes our table overlooked. 

Here was another scene I could see from our table. See the man in the background by the building. He was refilling the hummingbird feeders, and WOW were there many hummingbirds around us!

Another glorious table scene. I absolutely love the red chairs and umbrellas, perhaps because this is my favorite color. 

Now if you look at the center of this begonia, you will see black wings of a butterfly. We had many butterfly fly overs, which of course to me meant Mattie was with us. 

The way this restaurant works is that you get a four course lunch. You select an appetizer, you get a garden salad, followed by an entree of your choice, and dessert. 

Peter started with three different kinds of salmon. 

I started with gazpacho. It was delicious on a hot day. 

Then Peter had lamb. 

I had trout almondine. 

For special occasions the restaurant always brings you their ice cream covered in meringue. Typically I am not a meringue person, but theirs is STELLAR.

In addition to this dessert, came two others..... a chocolate souffle and a baked Alaska. 

One of the highlights of my dining experience there is ordering hot tea. Why? Because I am in love with their cute tea pots! What an elegant and refined way to be served tea! Rather than just a cup or worse a metal container with hot water.

We sat at our table for a couple of hours. Not rushed, in a tranquil environment and able to talk about all sorts of things together. Peter has a memory like a steel trap, so we talked about some of our vacations, reflections from our wedding day, and of course what life is like for us without Mattie. These are hard conversations, but yet we can discuss them without feeling blame or guilt. Which is a wonderful gift because some of what we have to say really wouldn't or couldn't be heard, understood, or appreciated by most people.