Our 25th Anniversary

Much has happened in the last month which may be the topic of future posts. You've read about the birth of Graham (one month ago today!). And there were choir concerts, and orchestra concerts, and the play (A Gift for Havilah) at our church. There were senior class events, preaching at the rescue mission, and Christmas caroling - at a home, through a neighborhood, and at convalescent hospitals. There was feasting with a friend who used his culinary school training for our benefit. And there were three days of tests at the University of CA Medical Center to determine if Tim could be a living donor (liver) for a dear friend of ours... and a wonderful time prior to that at a cabin with those friends and many others who gathered to cut Christmas trees, spend time together, and pray. And there was a rich Christmas Eve gathering with our friends (and daughter's "other family"), the Parishes, and their neighbors. And there was Christmas - with Jenny and Max and Graham (and of course Kaylee and Connor, too).

And then came our 25th Anniversary.

(today :-)

So are you wondering if we went on a cruise?

(note the sailing vessel below - and the map pinpointing cities all over the world)

Actually, we drove about 30 minutes. To this lovely little town. Reedley, CA. And using vouchers from Hotels.com (given to us because of an error of theirs this past summer when we traveled to Indiana), we booked a room in this historic bed and breakfast, the Hotel Burgess.

Here's a quick tour, which by the way, they conduct free of charge, for the asking. The place is like a beautiful museum in itself.

Come in and set a spell. :-) And then head up the impressive staircase to the

rooms upstairs.

Our room was on the right at the end of this little side hallway. Room 17. So pretty. And this one with a king-sized bed. Tim's request :-) after many years on our possibly-slightly-less-than-full-sized antique bed with footboard that curls his toes.

And they even had gold ribbons tied on the hangers in the closet.





Such beautiful linens and furnishings.





Happily for us, they've installed electricity and plumbing. And there was heat - coming from an old-fashioned radiator. They posted instructions that Tim summed up as, "If you're cold, turn it on. When you get warm, turn it off."







Some of the other rooms (which, if unoccupied, are left open for a look).



And just in case you've come with extra money and a hankering for antiques, everything in the rooms and hallways (and there's lots of stuff there!) is available for purchase. (Why, I could have worn this outfit to dinner!)



Heading back downstairs...


and out to some neighboring stores -- thrift stores! - where I found this basket and little glass pitcher and small somethings (candleholders?) that were "made in Ireland" (labeled "Irish Porcelain"). I liked the price tag - $2.





Then out to dinner - to the pub, cuz Tim thought the menu would be appealing. Oh my! It was wonderful. The chef's special of the day: Artichoke chicken - chicken breast with artichokes and mushrooms in a cream sauce, served over rice pilaf, with soup, salad, potatoes, green beans, and bread. Ahhhh. And all for about $9.99, I think.




In the morning, we made our way to the Hotel's cafe, where they had our made-to-order breakfast waiting (actually, cooked remarkably fast considering we accidentally showed up an hour earlier than we said we would. We didn't realize we'd arrived early til we got back to the hotel, checked Tim's computer and wondered how we'd gotten back fifteen minutes before we'd left).







So, here we are. After 25 years of a good life together. (Tim was doing the math and decided that we'd been married longer than we'd been alive. Somehow, I think he meant married longer than we'd been unmarried. Something like that.)





Yes, God's been very good to us.

He has given me just the right husband to love, and live with, and raise children with (and grandchildren!). Tim encourages all of us and teaches us- and reminds us of God's goodness, calming anxiety when necessary and always loving us in his kind, gentle, and generous way. It's been a blessed 25 years. May our children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for generations to come be so blessed in their marriages.



-Lori