My Parents' 45th Anniversary Party

(The celebratory couple)

On Saturday, June 27, my parents, Carl and Judy, celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary by inviting family and friends to their Pacific Beach home. From the rooftop of their two-story house, we can see the ocean, Point Loma, downtown San Diego, Mt. Soledad, and east to the mountains. They live half a block from the Pacific Ocean, between Mission Blvd. and the beach. We have come to love Law Street beach at the end of their street. We all had a wonderful time, with my mom's two local siblings there, her aunt and a cousin she hadn't met, her cousin Rick and his family, and my dad's sister-in-law, plus various friends and their favorite neighbor, too. My brother and his two children were there, along with Keith, myself, and our four kids. Three of Mom's four bridesmaids were present which was really fun, too.

(Elizabeth with her cousins Chelsea and Mary)

My brother sneaked into their home last weekend while Mom and Dad were still in Hawaii and enlarged one of their wedding photos onto a 16" by 20" posterboard for everyone who attended to sign (and Mom and Dad can frame it later and hang it). He also bought a photo album for their loose wedding pictures and we quickly slipped the photos into the new album that was passed around with their original wedding album.

(Aunt Nancy, Lorraine, Geoff, with my mom, Peg, and Rick in background)

I also got a good amount of the genealogical project done, printed, slipped into page protectors, and placed in a white binder. Everyone enjoyed thumbing through it and talking about family secrets and stories. It was a lot of fun to do, and I still have a lot to add! I haven't even started adding photographs and documents yet, and have only scratched the surface of our family's genealogy.

(Pam (Mom's maid-of-honor), Maury, Kay, my dad, and the back of Aunt Nancy's head)

It was a lovely evening as we gathered on the rooftop covered patio, enjoying drinks and appetizers before diving into the food catered by nearby Mexican restaurant Taco Surf: cheese enchiladas, carne and pollo asado, Mexican rice, and beans, and a large vanilla cake with white frosting and cheesecake filling.

(Sunset taken from the rooftop)

We all watched as the sun set into the Pacific, enjoying the cool, salty air of the nearby ocean and each others' company. We finally started packing up around 9:30 PM, saying our traditional noisy goodbyes in the alley behind their house. I think that Mom and Dad enjoyed their party, even though they certainly had a lot of work involved in getting ready after six weeks in Hawaii. Everyone had a wonderful time, and that's what counts.

Happy 45th Anniversary, Mom and Dad! June 27, 1964.