Ten years with the most beautiful, intelligent, perceptive and spiritual person I've ever known ... who also happens to be a girl ... and who also happens to be my wife. There's nothing like being married to your best friend.
How lucky could I get?
Kristin and I took these during dinner (between courses) at Clyde's Tower Oaks using my iPhone camera.
A bit goofy, yes ... and not the best image quality to be sure ... but a good time was had by all.
I sorta date our anniversary starting from the day we met ... August 13, 1996 ... so it's really been almost 12 years.
Still, our actual wedding was a beautiful affair ... I'll try and remember to post some photos from it if I can find the time to scan some in. That was all pre-digital after all. How times have changed, mai oui?
Actually ... I do have one or two photos that we have scanned ... here's one of them. I must say ... Kristin was the prettiest bride I've ever seen. I know we're all supposed to feel that way, but I really believe that. I mean really. She took my breath away. She still does.
The shul I attend and study Talmud at is in the local news this week!
We got together about a month ago to help some kids from Sederot (a small city in Israel) get away from the random rockets they are subjected to daily from the meshuggeners in Gaza.
I've known and have been friends with Rabbi Deitsch for well over a decade ... we study Talmud together every Wednesday at the Shul (right now in Baba Metzia ~ 27b). I even worked for him for about 6 months (7 or 8 years ago) helping him set up one of his charity programs.
Kristin and I took a quick trip to the beach again this summer ... once again staying at the lovely beach house owned by her boss, Susan, and her doughty husband Fred.
Here's Kristin looking a bit coy and Annie Hall-like during one of our visits to their pool.
We did manage to get down to the beach, but the water was freezing and there was a wind so we didn't stay too long. We did have fun, though.
We also went "partying" ... or should I say "par-TAY-ing" at Dewey Beach with Susan, Fred, Suzanne R (who was there, too) the Chris Fishes and other motley members the clan. That was a bit much, I must say.
Here we are at the beach. That's Fred in the middle. The Fishes (Chris and Chris, that is) stand athwart.
Here we are somewhere in Dewey Beach. This is about as clear as it ever got, folks.
Here we have all the lovely ladies of our clan perched on the pool's edge.
Fred cooks ...
Fred and Suzie lounge ...
Later that night Kristin takes a nap on the living-room couch at the beach house.
The family dog, Brighton, was there, too, for a nap.
My ever-lovely wife Kristin and I helped our friend Susan Walters celebrate her birthday (this has been a month of birthdays) by cruising down the Potomac River from Georgetown to Old Town Alexandria and back.
We met the boat, the Nightingale II, at the Georgetown Harbor around 11:30 in the morning. It was a beautiful day: sunny, warm ... not a cloud in the sky until late afternoon.
Susan's daughter Renee, who lives in Michigan and goes to school there, was able to come down for the event, too. We hadn't seen her in a long time ... she visited while Kristin and I were living in VA at the house on Shropshire. As I recall, Sarah was still in High School at the time.
Here's some video:
Here's Kristin with Susan (in blue) and her daughter Renee waiting on the dock before the boat arrived.
Here's the boat ...
Kristin and I used to see these (there are others like it) run past the dock in Old Town when we lived there, though we never got on board or took any one of the other touring boats. It's a long trip on the water, but is a great place to have a party.
Once it got there, we all piled in for the usual meet-and-greet ... I had met a few of the folks before, but most of them were new to me.
After a few minutes the boat revved up ... and then headed out into the river.
As you may have guessed, this is called the "Crabby Cruise" because we were served large aquatic insects. For food. There are people who actually eat these.
Susan and Kristin have been friends since College ... they both attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in the 1980s. Susan and her family then moved to Grand Rapids and lived there for quite some time, I think. In any event, they've lived there since I've known Kristin (12 years) and we visited them a couple of time. Susan recently was divorced and moved into the DC area to find work as an architect.
This is Susan's friend Fred.
Instead of the usual cake we had pie ... both lemon meringue and chocolate meringue.
The cruise was lovely ... lot's of good people.
This is going to be a busy month for us ... next weekend we head to Rehoboth for a weekend at her boss's beach house, and then after that it's our 10th wedding anniversary. Ten beautiful years, each day better than the next.
As part of Kristin's birthday today, we all went out to La Tasca ... a tapas and sangria bar in downtown Rockville ... and had some sangria and, well, tapas.
A wonderful time was had by all.
A friend of ours, Mark Avallone [seen below with his lovely wife Christine and daughter Abby], was gracious enough to take my stead behind the camera for a few shots, so I have a couple of on-camera moments in this post.
Kristin was, of course, her usual lovely self ...
These next photos are of our friends Carlos Velez and Susan Walters. Carlos works with Kristin and Susan W is a friend of Kristin's from the University of Michigan. She just recently moved into the Washington DC area.
Here's Carlos, Susan W and Susan Riddlebarger ... Susan R also works with Kristin.
This is Mark Avallone's wife, Christine, who works with Kristin. Mark is my financial adviser.
Here's Mark with Christine holding their infant daughter Abby while Susan W looks on.
Susan R holding child ...
Susan R earlier in the evening ...
Here we have Susan Carlson, who is Kristin's boss, along with Terry Ketchen who works with Kristin [we attended her wedding ... see below]. Somethings going on here ... I'm not sure what.
Actually ... I do have one or two photos that we have scanned ... here's one of them. I must say ... Kristin was the prettiest bride I've ever seen. I know we're all supposed to feel that way, but I really believe that. I mean really. She took my breath away. She still does.
Here's another standing with her dad.
