We've been married 30 years today. Don't ask me anything.

[DFW]

Try again tomorrow. I'm beat. I had to get up at 4:50 to make appointments in Stuttgart and Frankfurt before rushing back to Düsseldorf in time to go out to dinner with my wife and mom in law. She's the only surviving parent, and we didn't want to leave her alone.

Thirty years--seems like it went by in an instant--seems like it has been most of the time there ever was. Lucky me, I got to spend them with someone so perfectly suited to me in demeanor that you'd think I'd placed an order with a custom dating service or something. Instead, it was just a chance meeting in a Berlin cabaret in July, 1974.

Thirty years ago today, I somehow convinced the most perfect woman for me to say she'd stay with me for the rest of my life. Houdini and Mandrake the Magician couldn't have done a more masterful job, because she's still with me.

1981, Boston:
[IMG][/IMG]
1982, Washington (at the wedding):
[IMG][/IMG]
1985 Dallas:
[IMG][/IMG]
1995 Washington:
[IMG][/IMG]
1996 Düsseldorf:
[IMG][/IMG]
1998 Barcelona:
[IMG][/IMG]
2007 Washington:
[IMG][/IMG]
2009 Truro, Massachusetts:
[IMG][/IMG]
2011 Budapest:
[IMG][/IMG]
New Year's Day 2012, Charleston, South Carolina--to carry on after we're gone:
[IMG][/IMG]

To celebrate, we went out to some fancy Japanese place in downtown Düsseldorf with my wife's mom. She's from the farm country of northwestern Germany, and had never been to a Japanese restaurant before!

On to the next 30 years!

[PassingFair]

1. OMG, Is that Paula Jones in that 1995 pic at the White House?

Hope your wife is feeling healthy and happy!!

[DFW]

2. No one but family, Bill & Al in that pic

My sister, my mom, and my sister-in-law (she's from Japan).

My wife is MUCH better, thanks for asking. BIG smiles about that!

[dawg]

3. I think she's a lucky woman.

I like your style, DFW, and I'm glad that the hero wound up with the beautiful lady in the story of your life.

[DFW]

5. That would be the first time I think I was called the hero of the story!!

I'm the one who lucked, out, but that'll be our little secret, OK? LOL!!

Just remember that when you learn who Robert Packard is in about a year's time (long story--like about 275 pages!).

Way back when, I used to tour as a musician on the folk circuit in Germany in my spare time (now a non-existent commodity). One of the songs I did was an obscure urban blues by John Hammond, Jr. called "I just got here"

One of the verses ended with:

"Like my style and come with me,
And if you don't just let me be.
Don't try to make me what I'm not.
I just get by with what I've got."

She liked my style a long time ago, never tried to make me what I'm not. Lucky me!

[trumad]

4. Dude---

This is one of the best threads in DU history...

Truly a very cool thread.

You're truly blessed and Happy Anniversary.

trumad

PS: Love the Boom Box in the first pic.

[DFW]

6. The boom box does sorta date things, doesn't it?

Things change, don't they? (quote from the first Jethro Tull album--just to date things a little more).

But she still sticks with me, and as long as THAT doesn't change, we'll handle the rest.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing. Heart attack for me, cancer for her, but as the pics show,
that crap CAN be defeated, bounced back from.

[trumad]

7. Yeah--- and two beautful daughters...

I'll be married 20 years in January... 3 kids--- almost out of high school.

Empty nest is right around the corner---- mixed feelings about it--- I'll miss them but I do know that my wife and I will turn it loose like little kids when we are on our own.

[DFW]

8. Just as it changed your life when the children arrived

It changes again/back when they leave.

It's a BIG relief when they can fend for themselves. My wife just retired last month, and had a big, dangerous operation the day after. The biopsies came back OK, no more cancer, but we sweated blood for a couple of days. My day job isn't so easy to retire from, and replacements are about as easy to find as Jewish cabinet members in the Saudi Arabian government. Enjoy your down time--a LOT. It'll be done before you know it.

My wife is coming with me down to Spain next week, up to England the week after that, and over to America next month. Free at last, free at last, Cape Cod almighty, she's free at last, even if I'm not. You never know when the bill comes due, so don't wait. Take it from one who almost waited too long.

[bluesbassman]

9. Congratulations to you both.

It's a marvelous thing to be able to share that much time with someone you love, understand and respect.

Here's to many more anniversaries to come!

[DFW]

10. Thanks, bass man!

We had been together 8 years before getting married, but never found the time. It was my brother who invited us to our wedding. Well, his wedding. It's complicated. It ended up being a double wedding, and the parents' table was VERY peaceful, as there were three sets of parents who didn't understand a word of the language of the other two (English-German-Japanese).

I don't know how much longer we'll keep our winning streak at "Beat the Reaper," but every day is a jackpot, believe me. Love, understand, respect. You summed it up perfectly.

[HopeHoops]

11. Did ya (Socially unacceptable term) her? Heh heh. Ya know. Grrrrrrrr. Anniversary rape stuff.

Shit, what time does my wife get home from karate again?

[DFW]

13. The rope burns on my wrists and ankles tend to heal quickly

Give me a week, and you wouldn't know it ever happened.......

(She has vays to make me talk)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. My dear DFW!

Omigod, 30 years!

CONGRATULATIONS, AND HERE'S TO MANY, MANY MORE!

You have lived a crazy, madcap, whirlwind life, and it obviously suits you both! Plus, two gorgeous and talented daughters!

I'm thrilled for you!

[DFW]

14. Thanks Peggy!!

It's true, a desk job would be the death of me. Of course my job might do that anyway, but at least
neither of us will get bored to death unless they tie us down and make us listen to Romney speeches.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

15. Congratulations! I wish the both of you many more happy years together

And enjoy the Japanese restaurant. If your MIL hasn't been to a Japanese restaurant before, she's in for a real treat!

[DFW]

16. My MIL is not what you would call worldly person LOL!!

She speaks no language other than German, and has only made two plane trips in her life, both to America with us,
one for the wedding in 1982, and the second for my younger daughter's high school graduation in Waimea, Big Island,
in 2003. She lives in a tiny "you-can't-get-there-from-here" village in the flat farming country of northwestern Germany,
near the Dutch border. But for all that, she's a open-minded soul, and at age 84½, when we told her we were going
to a Japanese place, she said the German equivalent of "I've never tried that, so let's go for it."

[Phentex]

17. Congratulations!

We just made it past 20 years.

I'm happy for you!

[DFW]

18. Thanks! You'll there before you know it, too

All this Republican yammering about how they are the ones with "family values," and yet
their biggest noisemakers, like Gingrich and Limbaugh are the divorce kings of American
celebrity.

When you find the right partner, and if you have a little luck, you just settle into an easy,
comfortable relationship, and as long as you're honest and direct, you keep it for as long
as you are compos mentis.

Sometimes I wonder how a woman like my wife can stay with me for 38 years and still be
deemed to be compos mentis, but I'm not complaining!

[Raven]

19. What a wonderful thread! You are so lucky and,

obviously she's lucky too. That last picture...is that your wife and her mom? They look like sisters!

[DFW]

23. The last pic is of our two daughters

And they are indeed sisters.

[geardaddy]

20. Congrats and Happy Anniversary!

[Tikki]

21. Congratulations...you two..

She liked what she saw, you liked what you saw, and turned this into a lifetime of love and devotion.



Tikki

[DFW]

22. I sure liked what I saw!

As for her, well she misplaces her glasses a lot, and I'm in no hurry to help her find them! Why tempt fate?

[riderinthestorm]

24. Congratulations!! Such a beautiful wife and family! nt

[DFW]

25. Thanks Rider!

Way back when, when I first saw her, I thought wow, no way, but then I thought, hell even
women like her end up with SOMEBODY, so why NOT me? And so I've been rewarded with
that smile for all these years, all just for saying hi.