THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!!

40^th anniversaries are something special to commemorate especially in the times we are living when commitment seems to have a different definition than when we exchanged our wedding vows:  "in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, ‘til death us do part."

So did we take a trip or go some place really nice to celebrate? To understand our practical mentality I’ll take you back to our first year of marriage. We got married on the Saturday of Memorial Day week end—it was convenient with 3 days off! We spent the night at my grandmother’s beach home on the ocean. Went back to work the next Tuesday!

In August we had a ‘honeymoon’ trip to visit friends and see the sites. We drove to San Francisco and back to Seattle in 117 degree weather with no AC in our car! 



Day after our wedding



One of the sites: Alcatraz!
!



Trees of mystery



Fisherman's Warf

Could we have taken a deluxe honeymoon trip to Jamaica? Sure could have! My husband had money in the bank BEFORE he married me!  LOL      
But instead, we decided to use that money as a down payment on the home we bought five months after our wedding and that we still live in today! With our nice neighborhood, convenient location, view of Lake Washington, five bedroom house and big yard, with an increase in value of 15X+, I’d say that was a very good investment wouldn’t you?  Plus, everyday we know and appreciate the fact that we live in the home that “honeymoon” money bought!

So being practical people what would we do to celebrate 40?  Take trip to Jamaica? Go to some week end luxury place? Go out on the town? Take a cruise? You guessed it---none of the above!!

We went to REI and purchased matching Novara Jaunt comfort bikes! We are looking forward to exploring the Cedar River Trail’s 11 miles to Maple Valley and many of the other cycling paths in our area. We will get great exercise and fresh air, doing something fun together, exploring new places and meeting new people. It is the gift that will keep on giving! 



Novara Jaunt Comfort Bike

Our first venture out was to the Boeing parking lot near Renton Stadium. This is so hilarious because that’s where my husband took each of our daughters for their first practice drives after getting their learner’s permits!  Now it’s us doing the practice driving----on bicycles!

We were relieved to find that we could still balance a bike and not fall off! In fact we got so comfortable that we took a quick spin along the trail that ends where Cedar River empties into Lake Washington!

Our next venture will be to tackle part of the Cedar River Trail with our grandchildren. Last time they were on bikes and we walked/ran to keep up with them. This time we will all have wheels!!!

This is baby boomer grandma—hoping you too will reward yourself with a “gift that keeps on giving!”  Until next time-----May God richly bless YOU.