In this season with near-adult children, we celebrated our anniversary simply and spread out over a week. There were events, commitments, and logistics that made going away overnight tricky, but—as Jenni has taught me over the years—we celebrated anyways.
A Night with Yo-Yo Ma
On Monday of our anniversary week, we got to go to the Arlene Schnitzer to see Yo-Yo Ma in concert. Through a benefit from Vernier, I got a pair of tickets in a drawing last year and we were excited to hear him play live.
Funnily enough, we both forgot the detail that the show was sold out and I was only able to get tickets that weren’t seated next to each other. So we were confused when we arrived at our seats and someone was sitting in one of them. We went to the other ticked seat and its neighbor was open the whole show, so we got to enjoy it together.
Committed to Celebrating
The kids had activities throughout the week that we were driving them to, such as jiu jitsu, soccer, and school. Our anniversary also landed on Vernier’s Bring Your Child to Work Day this year and Jenni joined us at lunch at Cafe Yumme.
Coasting to Cannon Beach
At the end of the week, we took a day trip to Cannon Beach and was greeted with beautiful weather. We were hoping to see puffins on Haystack Rock, but there was an eagle that scared them away.
We returned home by early evening and set up the projector in the living room to enjoy Taylor Swift’s last show of her Eras tour on Disney+. We watched the behind-the-scenes docuseries and were impressed with her vision, commitment, and creativity, so it was fulfilling to see the culmination of her show.
Looking Back and Forward
As I looked back on our blog for our past anniversaries over twenty-one years, a deep sense of gratitude settled in me.
- 1st Anniversary
- 2nd Anniversary
- 3rd Anniversary
- 4th Anniversary
- 5th Anniversary
- 6th Anniversary
- 7th Anniversary
- 8th Anniversary
- 9th Anniversary
- 10th Anniversary
- 11th Anniversary
- 12th Anniversary
- 13th Anniversary
- 14th Anniversary
- 15th Anniversary
- 16th Anniversary
- Studio One
- 18th Anniversary
- 19th Anniversary
- 20th Anniversary
- 21th Anniversary
- Reno Dance Sensation
- Hong Kong
- Home
- Silver Falls Cabin
- Seaside
- Tualatin Hills Nature Park
- Evergreen Air and Space Museum
- Mt. Tabor and McCormick and Schmick’s
- Council Crest Park
- Anniversary Party with Friends and Family
- Cathedral Park
- Sunriver
- Pittock Mansion
- The Portland Spirit
- Tualatin Hills Nature Park
- Trillium Lake
- Studio One Theaters
- Next Level Pinball Museum
- The Painted Hills
- Mount Hood
God has taken us on so many unexpected adventures, to bless us with memorable experiences, and to grow us through challenges. We’ve celebrated anniversaries near and far, in health and in sickness, away from and alongside our kids—but He was always faithful and we remember that our foundation is in Him.
Neither of us expected each other as spouses and we are happily reminded each year of how God gives good gifts and His ways are not our ways.
Thanks to our friends and family who continue to support us in our journey through life together. We’re humbled by the love surrounding us and above us.