Last year on Aug. 26, we were driving from Cali to Il to buy this house. It was the last anniversary we had. We were not together for Christmas last year and I was sure looking forward to this time around. Kaaren

On our last anniversary my husband wanted to take me to a fondue restaurant. I've always wanted to go do one and we never did because my husband used to say he didn't want to feel like he was cooking himself if he went out to eat. We also ended up somewhere else. Last anniversary (Sept) we decided to go there but my husband was recovering from a lung infection after breaking some ribs. I said we should wait until he felt better because it would cost a lot of money. Little did I know it was the beginning of the end and we would never get a chance to go - wish we had. The year before that (our 25th) my husband was admitted into the hospital.

We had just bought a motor home and we took the week off traveling around the state. The day of our anniversary we stayed on the Buffalo River and had dinner at a restaurant that is directly above the river. The fog rolls in at night and gives the river a very serene look, they have old boat motors hanging from the ceiling and other old fishing memorabilia. It turned out to be a special day, I never imagined it would be our last anniversary together. I guess that only would have added to that feeling of a day I would never wanted to end.

Our last anniversary was a big event - 50 years together. This was Dec. 2007. I wanted to have just a family dinner with kids & grandkids at a restaurant. However, my son and daughter talked with some friends and they planned a nice reception for us on a Sunday afternoon. We displayed wedding photos and pictures of us down through the years. Old friends came and it was such a special time. Such a wonderful memory. The next day Frank went back in the hospital for 3 1/2 weeks because the remission from leukemia was over -- and it was downhill for him the next few months. He was looking great in the photos of that day - his hair had come back for the 3rd time after losing it to chemo. He was gone before the next anniversary - but I'm so thankful we had 50 years together.

Our last anniversary was our 37th on Feb. 13, 2007 and we spent it on a cruise with DS, DIL, and another couple. We almost canceled that cruise because we had been on one 2 months earlier and thought about waiting a few more months to go again. Thank goodness we didn't because he was diagnosed with cancer a month and a half later and it wasn't long after that that he was bedridden. He climbed Mayan ruins on that trip and anything else he wanted. We later found out he had lung and bone cancer, and also cancer in his knee. Don't know how he did it and he truly enjoyed that trip. I wouldn't take anything for the memories.

Our last anniversary together was July 19, 2007, our 38th. We went to Charleston, South Carolina with a friend of Joe's, Dale and his wife, Connie. We'd gone out to eat with them many, many times and been at gatherings with them, movies, games, parties, etc. But, we had never gone on vacation with them. Dale has a few health problems and doesn't like to drive in traffic. Joe didn't mind at all. Connie was thrilled that she didn't have to drive. We began to plan a trip for the next summer, a long one. Of course, that never happened.

We did a tour of the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier. That thing is HUGE!! A tour of Fort Sumter, a tour of the Magnolia Plantation : its Audubon Swamp Gardens, and Nature Boat Tour. We also went on a 3 hour Dinner Cruise of the Charleston Harbor. These were on different days....lol. We did a lot of sight seeing in Charleston, and enjoyed it very much. We also enjoyed being with Dale and Connie.

I have to tell the story of our 25th wedding anniversary to be able to explain the last one.

We used to take turns making the plans for our anniversary each year and the year of our 25th was my turn. The previous couple of years had been hard ones and I wanted our 25th to be extra special. I also wanted it to be a complete surprise so I told nobody about it, not even the kids. No matter how much Roxanne tried to get clues out of me I refused to tell her anything.

Neither of us had ever been in an airplane before and the idea occurred to me to check into the cost of having a small plane take us up for an hour. I was pleased to find out that I could get a pilot to take us up from the local airport's flight school for less than $150 an hour. It seemed like a lot of money at the time but could be a once in a lifetime event so I made the arrangements.

When I pulled into the airport parking area she assumed that I was taking her to the restaurant there until I steered her towards the neighboring building. Her second guess was that I had arranged for us to have a tour of the airport.

The reception area of the flight school was quiet when we walked in and a casually dressed man was leaning against the counter. When we came through the door he greeted us and asked me "Is there anything in particular you wanted to see or did you just want to go up and fly around for a while". The look on her face was worth ten times what that plane ride cost me.

We spent an hour flying over Chautauqua Lake and the city of Jamestown seeing our piece of the world from the air for the first time. Seeing the clouds from above and watching a flock of birds fly across the landscape below was incredible.

As our last anniversary was approaching I wrote a note to the director of the flight school thanking him again for the wonderful experience we had had on our twenty-fifth. I send the email from my work address which includes the name of my employing company. He wrote back and told me that my employer is one of his best corporate customers and also one of the main sponsors for the local hot air balloon "Skyjam" which was scheduled to take place on our anniversary. He offered me the opportunity to take her flying again only this time it would only cost me $35 to cover the pilots time. I gladly accepted his invitation.

The day of our second flight we met our rather young looking pilot and took off toward the sunset. Once we were in the air we started to visit with him and learned that he was only 19 and had just gotten his private pilots license the week before. Once we got over that shock we realized that we knew the young man from some of the home schooling evens we had attended over the years.

He and his girlfriend had just returned from flying to a place where they spent the day skydiving for the first time then flew back to take us for a ride. He was still pretty wound up about the experience and the three of us made some lively conversation as we flew along the Lake Erie shoreline. I couldn't have planned things to be any better than they were that evening.

Happy Memories,
Matt

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Our anniversay is sept 1, we made plans with our friends from Maryland, they took the ferry over to Cape May, Kathy does not like boats, but knew she had to make this trip for Michael or he wouldn't visit them again, he teased her alll the time about that. Mike paced, and paced waiting for the boat to arrive. We had stayed at a bed and breakfeast, it was the most beautiful time we had with Kathy and Rick, and made plans to go back in Dec. This trip was Aug 27 thru the 29. I lost Michael on Sept 29, 2008, one month later with no signs that anything was wrong. Will never forget this trip.

Paul and I never made it to even our 1st anniversary, we were married March 31st, 2009 and he died of a massive heart attack on December 3rd, 2009.

We found out a day before Joe and I's 27th anniversary that he had cancer, he died three weeks later.

So anniversaries are not good times for me.

My husband died in August last year, about 3 weeks after our 30th anniversary. Now that anniversary is coming up, the first without him. I think I've adjusted pretty well for still being in the first year, but any suggestions how to deal with this day? I feel like it's going to be a bit of a struggle.