50 Plus

My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary two weeks ago this past Sunday. I was out of town on the actual date (July 9th) so my mom and I planned a special get together for them this past Saturday.

We had a few people over for drinks and snacks beforehand (the lovely Boy offered up his condo as my 500 sq. ft. place is not really conducive to hosting parties) and then we headed out to a local Italian restaurant* for dinner. It turned out to be a lovely evening, even with all the drama that went into planning it all (I've got a post all lined up about that one, but am in a good mood today and don't want to ruin it by rehashing it). Everyone was on their best behavior, everyone got along, there were no snippy comments made, even after a few glasses of vino.

We had cake and champagne afterwards, and watched a slideshow that I had made - a chronological story of their relationship, set to Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable". It brought tears to my grandmother's eyes, and she made us replay it three times before the night was over. All in all, it was a great night, and sitting at home after everyone had gone, the Boy and I marveled at the fact that they had been married for fifty years. FIFTY years!!

The Boy and I have only been dating for a year. One year. Take that, times it by fiftyÂ…that's a freaking LONG ASS time. I can imagine myself growing old with him, don't get me wrong, but when you put it in terms of fifty times more what we've spent together already, it seems so unbelievable. I mean, picture it - just trying to imagine yourself fifty years from now is nearly impossible. Fifty, fifty, fifty, fifty...sorry, thought I'd throw that in there a few more times for good measure.

At any rate, a marriage that lasts that long is somewhat of anomalyoly in this day and age, and I have the utmost respect for my grandparents for making it work and showing us how it's done. They've had their ups and downs, and they still bicker more than anyone I know. Yet, all of their bickering is laced with a sweetness that comes with knowing each other inside and out, and without it, I don't know if they would be them. They give me something to strive towards when I finally tie the knot (even if it does freak me out a little!), and I love them to death for keeping the family together and proving that love actually can last.

Happy 50th Anniversary, dear grandparents.






*If any of you live in the Calgary area, I highly recommend dining out at Abbruzo Ristorante. The meals were fantastic, and very reasonably priced. I am a spaghetti connoisseur**, and this was easily the best spaghetti Bolognese that I have ever had. I am drooling just typing this.

**connoisseur is a difficult word to spell, I really had to think about it for a few seconds