Happy 6th Anniversary!

Today is our 6th anniversary--on the evening of January 27. 2001, we were married at Danforth Chapel in Iowa City, Iowa. It was such a beautiful night...snow on the ground, clear skies with twinkly stars. Danforth Chapel is a tiny little chapel on the University of Iowa campus. Even though we were living in Chicago at the time, Iowa City was where we met and fell in love. I got my B.A. and M.A. at the U of I, and Kevin earned his MBA there, so it was special to us to be married in a place with so many wonderful memories. The chapel is really tiny (I remember the wedding coordinator whispering to me, "You can fit 80 people in there, but only if they are skinny people!") We managed to make room for all our guests, both skinny and, um, not so skinny, and had a romantic candlelit ceremony. My parents' song was "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago, so we managed to find the sheet music for the harpist and she played that for the recessional. Kevin was so sweet, tearing up during our vows. In my usual goofy style, I was trying hard not to giggle--we chose some traditional Quaker vows and there were lots of "thees" and "thous" that I couldn't quite manage with a straight face. It was the most perfect night, from the ceremony to the reception--it was amazing to look around the room and see the faces of everyone we love, and realize that they all travelled long distances just to celebrate our wedding with us. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed that night, and I still am when I think back about it today.
6 years have passed and we have had our share of ups and downs. This past year has been especially challenging, but I think we are well on our way to creating a full and happy life in Norway. Unfortunately, Kevin will be spending our anniversary somewhere in the sky as he flies home from New York. We will celebrate tomorrow, so I have been busy making some special treats in the kitchen and madly cleaning the house. (By the way, getting squirted in the face by the bidet while you are cleaning it is not a good time! I have never had one of these contraptions before and we never use it, but from time to time I think it needs to be cleaned. All I can say is eeewwww, between gargles of mouthwash!)
I know in the grand scheme of things, 6 years isn't all that long. 25 years, 50 years, those are accomplishments! I love my husband more and more with every passing year, and I want to grow old and gray(er) with him. No one knows what the future holds, but I desperately hope that it includes us celebrating our golden anniversary in 2051, surrounded again by all those we love.
(Sorry for all the sappiness today--I promise my next post will be full of caustic wit and sarcasm!)