September 18! A memorable Day indeed. 55 years ago I met a lovely girl, who 1,000 days later became my wife!! We are old friends for sure!
Category: Marland & Alice
I am sitting on our porch doing this post. I just finished 4 oz of this fabulous Salted Caramel Drinking Chocolate by Katherine Anne confections! Awesome! Although my birthday was 10 days ago, it was nice to again celebrate. You all have a great week.
Sitting on our porch, a favorite spot this summer. Our anniversary was in mid-June, and then later, Alice’s birthday. Soon after we celebrated 20,000 days since we met, way back in 1966. This week we were on a business trip and heard on Wednesday evening that my 97 year-old Mother had fallen and broken her femur. The next day (My 73rd birthday), I stopped in at 6 stores, in two states, and headed home, arriving by 10:20 pm, so we could be there for Mom’s surgery this afternoon. My wife and I are now the same age. I am sure we will find some time later in which to celebrate my birthday!
20,000 Days since Alice and I met back on September 18, 1966. Our lives haven’t been the same since!! First day of Summer, and National Selfie Day are eclipsed by our special day! We’ve lived in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Ohio. We also lived in Northwestern Ontario and Dhaka, Bangladesh! I have worked in 4 different hospitals as a Medical Technologist. Alice worked in three hospitals as an LPN. I was also Principal at four different schools. I piloted little two-seater planes in NW Ontario for 440 hours. We have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and three grandsons. We have hiked in the Southern Rockies, as well as the mountains of the Banff, Jasper, Waterton and Glacier National Parks. We have hiked the Grand Canyon three times, the foothills of the Swiss Alps, and the Himalayas. We’ve hike in the Smokies, and a volcano in Bali. We have slept under the stars at the Upper Chukuni near Red Lake, and on the sandy desert of Western India near Jaisalmer. We were both saved from drowning, and Alice is a Cancer Survivor!! God has been good!!! As the plaque says on our porch, “Welcome to our Porch, where we enjoy the lazy days of summer!” If you want to hear more of our story, we could oblige you. Maybe even a cup of coffee, or ice tea! If you from another state or country, we have spare bedrooms also! P.S. We got married 1,000 days after we met!
Background photo taken in Michigan, Center insert photo in San Antonio, and the small insert taken in Malta! Merry Christmas to all my Blog followers, and visitors!! Hope it is a festive joyous occasion for you all. If not I pray, you will be surrounded by friends and/or family who can show you comfort, and compassion, with whatever you are going through!
Mountains
And Valleys
September 18, 1966 I met my dear wife, Alice in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, at the beginning of our freshman year of college! Now married 50 years, we look back and see mountains and valleys which we crossed. What a wonderful journey!!!
The song which somewhat depicts our romantic beginnings!
To continue this journey we are leaving Friday morning for NYC, and then flying to Rome on Saturday evening for a 9 day cruise, visiting Italy, Greece and some Greek Islands. Thanks, Alice for letting me journey through life with you!!!!!
P.S. The above photos were taken on the Neiderhorn, in Switzerland in 2013.
Marty Robbins sings our story so well, with a few exceptions!
I Heard the Bluebirds Sing
I met a girl down in the hills that gave my lonely heart a thrill
Her beauty seemed just like a breath of spring
And when I looked into her eyes I thought it blue as a summer skies
When I held her hand in mine I heard the bluebirds singThey sang of wondering (wondering if he loves her)
Will she marry (marry if he asks her)
Will her heart be (heart be true for him for) then and evermore
And when she’s lonely (lonely is he near her)
When there’s sadness (sadness will her cheer her)
Will they always (always be together) until the day they partI courted her for months on end until she promised we would wed
We planned on being married in the spring
All through the long cold winter months it seemed that spring would never come
And every gloomy winterday I heard the bluebirds singThey sang of waiting (waiting for the flowers)
And of counting (counting every hour)
Till the bluebirds (bluebirds chirps his welcome) to the world each morn
And while we’re waiting (waiting for the sunshine)
We keep hating (hating every storm cloud)
That has gathered (gathered o’er the mountains) to keep us for apartAnd when at last spring touched the earth we were married in the church
Our wedding seems just like a dream come true
Though many years have come and gone our love is still as true and strong
As when I found her long ago and still the bluebirds singThey sang of loving (loving every hour)
That I’m married (married to my flower)
And we’re happy (happy ever after) as since the day we’ve met
And though we’re older (older love is sweeter)
We grow fonder (fonder of each other)
We’ll be sweethearts (sweethearts close together) until the end of time Songwriters: HOD PHARISI Heard the Bluebirds Sing lyrics © Peer International Corporation, Quality Music PUB.LTD.
I am sitting on the left, likely looking at a bird! Of course, we weren’t invited to be in this photo! Bengalis love to take photos of their family with foreigners!
After an hour of football this morning, then a one hour walk to the North End Coffee Roasters Shop in Dhanmondi with my wife, we were ready for lunch! White Mocha coffee, and roast beef and cheese sandwich. This is a must-do coffee shop if visiting Dhaka, Bangladesh!
September 18, 1966 was a day of transition, being the day, I met my wife! Actually, the Sunday “Gazette Mail” newspaper of Charleston, West Virginia had a headline- Transition. Trivia: If you work at $9.13/hr for a year, your salary would be $19,000!
We’ve lived in 22 different homes over the years, but maybe I am getting it mixed up with having been in 22 different countries!
Thanks, Darling for knocking me off of my feet (College Sweethearts)! You can tell numbers, so I was tickled to find out that we courted for exactly 1,000 days before marriage.
