Tag: anniversary

40th Celebration…And It Truly Was!

Mikki Eveloff Leave a comment

IMG_1719So Anniversary #40. I had looked forward to this day for so many years. And then I dreaded it. But, thanks to the love and support of incredible family and friends it was one of the most beautiful days of my life. I was overwhelmed. Blessed. Grateful. Overjoyed. I know Gregger was with me. All the way.

I didn’t want to open my eyes in the morning. I didn’t want to look at the empty pillow next to mine. It shouldn’t be that way. I should be annoyed by the rumbling snores. The deep breathing. Whistling. But there was silence. Was I angry? Kind of. He should have been here. Sad? Most definitely. Disappointed. More than ever. This was OUR day. The day he set aside for the two of us EVERY YEAR since the day we were wed. Regardless of what was happening in our lives, it was OUR day. But he wasn’t here. It was me. So I had choices. Lie in bed. Cry. Or get up and go. Do something. I decided to go with Plan B. First step. Coffee. Watch the video. Recapture the years. The love. The laughter. Our life. Perfect. A few tears. But that was ok. I needed it. Needed to let go.

IMG_1756I was planning on spending the afternoon with Ashley and Tyler. Little did I know they had other plans. Something else up their sleeve. Like father, like daughter. Gregger loved surprises, and Ashley decided to channel a little Gregger herself. The original plan was to spend the whole day doing “something.” Or a whole lot of nothing. Didn’t really matter. As long as we were together. But a couple of weeks ago, she called me, completely frazzled. She had a mandatory sales meeting on the 10th. No worries. Plans change. Life gets in the way. We’d make it work. In the meantime, my “mama angel,” Marcia, planned to take OTF with me. Awesome! What a way to start my day! Perfect friend. Perfect workout. What could be better? The BEST SURPRISE! Ashley and Tyler with a bouquet of balloons! No sales meeting! They got me. And they got me good!

IMG_1739But the surprises didn’t end there. It was off to brunch, bloody’s, and besties all in one big room! Waiting at Union were my favorite people. The people who have helped me make this my “home.” The dear people who welcomed a stranger from Scottsdale with open arms. It’s hard to imagine I’ve lived here such a short time. Yet I’ve never felt so at home. So at peace. And I thank each and every one of these people. These people I call my friends. People who touch your life, your heart, your soul. People who make you want to wake up in the morning when life gets hard. People who help you smile when it would be so easy not to. Friends. And family. This was the best gift I could have received yesterday. A blanket of love.IMG_1747

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This day was another reminder of the gift we call life. A reminder to be grateful for our blessings. A reminder that gifts don’t always come in pretty wrapped packages. This day was a gift. And I am so very grateful for every moment. For my kids. For my friends. And, of course, for Gregger.IMG_1749IMG_1744IMG_1750

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Happy 40th Anniversary Gregger!

Mikki Eveloff Leave a comment

Dear Gregger,

40th anniversaryHappy 40th! Our Anniversary! This should be the easiest love letter I’ve ever written you. But it’s not. It’s the hardest. It should be a “happy” 40th. But I’m here and you’re “there.” We should be spending the day together. Reminiscing. Celebrating. Patting each other on the back and saying, “Hey, good job! We did it!” But we’re not. We talked about this day for so long. The milestones we marked. Our wedding day. Mere babes. Snowflakes drifting. A white blanket of wonderland. Good luck. I believe it was. Honeymoon. Hawaii. All those islands. But Maui. Our favorite. Who would have guessed our fairytale would “end” there? But the times between. We had it all. Extraordinary. Dreadful. Joyful. Heartbreaking.

IMG_1694#1. Dinner at home. Fancy. Home-cooked. A beautiful horn-shaped necklace rimmed with diamonds swirled on my dinner plate. Just the two of us. Cheers to a lifetime together. Dreams. Family. Laughter. Tears. Success. Heartache. Memories.

#10. A surprise trip to San Francisco. Our first time away from the kids. Alone. Romance rekindled. The hotel’s fluffy white robe. Lounging in bed. Cares washed away. Champagne. Wine. Not a care in the world. Cherishing moments just to be. Together.

#25. Eddie’s Place. My family. And our celebration at Hermosa Inn. Always something special. Mark the occasion. I know every single one.

#30. Our special day. But yet nothing special. X’s and O’s to signify your love. It circles my neck, sparkling with the glow of our love.

#35. You proposed to me. Again. And again. I said “YES!” New ring, but with all the promise of a continued lifetime of love, compassion, friendship, honesty, and trust. Ocean Club. Great dinner. Better company. Ashley and Tyler waiting by the bar. You surprised me. You loved surprising me. And I loved your surprises. What a night! What a great celebration!

We were going to renew our vows. At 20. 25. 30. 35. But life got in the way. We had time. Or so we thought. 40 was next. That was our plan.  A trip? 2nd “wedding?” We could decide. But somebody else decided for us.

40th anniversary 1So here I am. Writing my 40th anniversary love letter to you. We had the best of the best. But we also had the worst. I believe that’s what made us so great. I will cherish both. Forever. The struggles, the heartaches, the pain, taught us to be grateful. To appreciate life. Each other. Our children. It taught us to communicate. To listen. To be compassionate. With each other. With others. We did not settle. We wanted more. We always wanted more. Even after 38 years together, we wanted more. More time together. I believe it would be the same if you were here with me today. More time. More love. More of us. Nothing is easy. It takes sacrifice, struggle, and fight to be successful. At anything. Marriage is no different. We were a team. And a good one at that. You were my partner. My best friend.

You were the BEST thing that EVER happened to me. Some would say, “What about your kids? What about your grandkids?” Well, if it wasn’t for YOU, they wouldn’t be! So, yes, YOU were the BEST! You will always be the BEST. You taught me so much. I am still learning. But I realize that these lessons are coming from you. You guided me. You helped me become a better person. A stronger person. I miss you more than words could ever describe, but I am still here. I have to keep going. You have given me the strength to do that. I know I can’t stop. I can’t just “be.” Life is too short.

IMG_1698I see you everywhere. You have gifted me this week with beautiful rainbows. You smiled down on me. I know it was you. Thank you. I needed that. You are smiling at me by my bedside. On my walls. My phone. My computer. But most of all in my heart. You will be there forever. Happy 40th. 40 is the year of the ruby. My birthstone. “An eternal inner flame, a symbol that the passion in a marriage is still very alive and strong after 40 years together.” We are an eternal flame. Whether together here on earth, or separated by some other means. The flame still burns. I miss you. I wish this were different. But it’s not. So for now,  I will celebrate the love we shared. The life we shared. And the legacy of love we are leaving behind. I love you Gregger. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

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Happy Anniversary

Mikki Eveloff Leave a comment

DSC_0532Tomorrow is my parent’s 54th wedding anniversary. Their marriage was always such an inspiration for me. When Gregger and I were going through some of our toughest times, I would spend time with parents to remind me what I wanted my life to look like in 50 years. It worked. Life wasn’t always easy for them. Is it ever? But they made it work. Five kids. Ten year span. Not a lot of time to be “just two.” But they did. Early bed times. Date nights. And when the nest was empty, they were ready. I watched. I learned. I’d slip, but I knew I’d always come back. We’d always come back. We’d be the ones to make it. Just like my parents did. They laughed. Had fun. Enjoyed being together. And always love. Lots of love. The keys to everlasting.

anniversary 3Gregger and I always enjoyed being with my parents. Laughs. Good times. My dad taught Gregger how to drink Jameson. Got him hooked. I loved watching them together. I loved that the four of us could hang. It was almost a year ago that we were together for the last time. It was that visit that Gregger and I vowed to be together for 75 years. We talked about the longevity of marriages in our family. My grandparents were just shy of 75 years when my grandfather passed. Aunts and uncles well surpassed the 50 and 60 plus year mark, living 90 plus years. Remarkable. And none of those marriages was perfect 100% of the time. But they had foundation. Love. And respect.

We had 38 anniversaries. And for all 38 years, Gregger took the day off. We spent the entire day together. Some years we went away. Most we just stayed home. Doing a lot of nothing. Just being together. After 38 (and long before), I realized it wasn’t the diamonds, roses, or dinners that made it special. It was the two of us. It was being together. We rarely went out. We loved staying in. Sharing the night together. I’d cook. Gregger’d have a Jameson. I’d have a glass of wine. We’d toast. Talk. And just be. That was good enough for me. I just wish we had more time.

We talked about our big 4-0 coming up in 2016. I really wanted to renew our vows. We surprised my parents on their 50th with a renewal ceremony in Vegas. It was awesome! The whole family was there to witness this beautiful occasion. They wrote their own vows. So sweet. So cute. So endearing. I wanted that for us. Not Vegas. But somewhere. Romantic. Ocean breeze. Barefoot. Kids surrounding us to witness our forever love. That won’t happen. Life changes.

DSC_0710But I feel lucky. Lucky to have parents who truly love each other. Lucky to have parents who set an amazing example of how to survive the ups, downs, highs, lows, and bumps along the way. It is never perfect. Love is never perfect. People are never perfect. But if you can love the imperfections, the marriage can be perfect. I believe that’s what my parents have. I believe that’s what we had. Lucky. Blessed. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I love you!