Six months ago I posted an item that described my transformation from being a marriage skeptic to being a proponent, while my partner had experienced the reverse conversion.

Regardless of any marriage decision, we made plans to host an anniversary party. Ten years had passed since our “(happily ever) After Party” and our commitment ceremony, and we thought it would be fun to have everyone back to celebrate life, love, and a decade of wonderful experiences, with our family and friends.

So we did. We procured the Pavilion at Theodore Wirth Park and invited our family and friends to join us for a picnic. Knowing that summers are a busy and active time for Minnesotans out of hibernation, we expected a significant fraction would decline the invitation. Instead, we were surprised to find that nearly everyone would be attending!

It was a wonderful event, bringing together a family that has expanded to successive generations, and friends accumulated over a lifetime. We had speakers that presented stories and episodes that few others knew. Kind words were delivered by our children and colleagues. I felt a little like Tom Sawyer, up in the church rafters, listening to the testimonials and eulogies during his premature funeral service.

Here are a few photos of the event. We are appreciative of everyone who came, and also those who couldn’t make it. You have all contributed to our lives.

Oh, (and spoiler), we were married on my 70th birthday, earlier this month! (But you knew that).

I also have a recording of the program. The acoustics in the pavilion were awful, and an iPhone is not a professional recording device, but with a little post-processing, it becomes mostly intelligible. Here is a video recording of the event (if anyone other than us would ever watch it, it runs just under an hour).