Yesterday was our 8th wedding anniversary. When we got up in the morning and wished each other a happy anniversary, Rick said, “Can you imagine if on our wedding day, I said in our 8th year of marriage I will be teaching at one of England’s top ten academies, you will be working for one of the Big 4 financial organizations, Chan will be living with us in England, and Keaton will have travelled to Europe?” I am sure I would have thought he was out of his mind. However, here we are and all of the above is true. Pretty awesome, I must say.
So you know how each anniversary has a theme like paper, or silver, or wood, or something really obscure, well we decided that this one was Crazy 8’s so anything goes. Well, on the weekend we were watching excerpts from Glastonbury which is a huge outdoor music festival in Somerset, and a set of Jackson Browne came on. Isn’t it funny how a song can pull you back to a time and place? Well, hearing Jackson Browne instantly made me think of our place in Douro. It reminded me of the times that Rick and I would be alone on a date night sharing a nice home cooked meal, all four patio doors open with a lovely breeze pulling through the family room, and waiting for a brilliant sunset to appear from the west side of our property.
Funny, but since we moved here, I haven’t listened to a lot of our music from home. I have tried to find new songs. This is partly because we don’t have a good stereo system, but really, it makes me home sick. For example, Viva Lavida by Coldplay, would send me into a crying jag in the middle of the grocery store because it reminded me of the time that Rick, Channing, Keaton, and I did our sail boating trip on Lake Simcoe. I can picture Keaton sitting on the deck, the sun shining, and the boat falling and rising with the waves. I used to rule the world, the song says, and I think that it won’t be long before my oldest boy will be trying to do just that. He’ll be heading off to Humber to study journalism and eventually specialize in sports broadcasting. But during this sailing trip, we were facing the world together as a team on the boat, and as tough as the trip got because of the weather being rough, we made it back home no problems, because we did it together.
So last night, when Jackson Browne broke into “Waiting here for you”, I couldn’t help but think of our place and the great times we have had there as a family too and yes, I reached for some tissue. I am such a sap. But I try not to focus too much on the past, as my present has been so unbelievable. I am here, I remind myself, in London in the Royal Alex Theatre, within 100 feet of Jackson Browne, now that in itself is super cool. But the part that is sweetest of all is that I get to do this with my husband of 8 years. Is that crazy, or what?!
Here's some more shots from our camping trip on the Isle of Wight.
