Thirty one years ago today...

Happy Anniversary to my Boa Boy.

Thirty one years ago we started on an adventure. We got married in a little church in Mill Valley and had a great party on the deck at the Alta Mira. We would grab an evening and take our little boat Thalassa to Angel Island and anchor for the night. We frequented Bed and Breakfasts and went on picnics. Some where along the way we decided to start a family and buy a house in Mill Valley.

The first baby daughter came and we looked at her in amazement wondering where would we go from here? Our lives bent and morphed to include more than just us. Another little girl came along who filled our house with squeals and giggles. The puppies I had when I was single both died on Christmas. We mourned together as a family until a sweet boy named Scuppers came to heal our sadness.

The parts of our single lives either melted into our 'couple' life of disappeared into distant memories. We sailed, we hung out with our friends, we brought children to play in East Bay pools. We planned and took trips to exotic places - Sailed in Tonga and Thailand, Turkey and Spain. We had become Cathy and Glenn (or Glenn and Cathy) depending on who you talked to. Together we hosted Christmas parties with Santa and Bears in the window, watched as children's belief changed into skepticism. We sang out loud and danced on Delta Islands.

When I was 42, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, but we both were Cancer victims. Glenn held my hand while I received chemo. He silently dealt with his own fear to help keep me strong. We watched as I lost my hair, my breast and he told me he loved me. We both survived.

We survived our daughter's teenage years with a combination of fear and awe as they became independent young ladies. We put on a wedding Columbus Ohio as our eldest embarked on her own adventure. Glenn took a deep breath and I held mine as he walked her down the aisle. We both have wondered how our girls are doing as they started lives far away from our home in the Mill Valley hills. We both realize how blessed we are.

We have lost friends and Glenn's mother and our dear Scuppers. We have held each other and cried, only to stand taller together than we could have ever stood on our own.

When I started the 3 day, Glenn joined me with a look of confusion the first time he saw all that pink, until he found a boa draped around his neck. He is now BOA boy. He is my boa boy.

The years ahead of us are as exciting to me as the ones we have lived. They will be rich and full and surprising at every turn. I know as long as I have Glenn there, we will both get through anything. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank God for this wonderful man in my life.

Happy Anniversary Glenn, here's to the next 31 years. I love you.