Happy Anniversary ....

Ona beautiful autumn day in 1995 on the 22nd of April, I married my love Andreas at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Melbourne. It is sometimes hard to believe that we have been married for 14 years and we have been together for another 5 years on top of that. I have been with my partner for over half of my life. I was only 23 when I got married.
Pastor Stern from St. John's Springvale wed us. I have a distinct memory of the day ... Pastor Stern stood there during the service wearing his usual garb, but underneath he had a pair of blunstones on! He is still the Pastor at St. John's in Springvale and last year he Baptised our daughter.
Andreas was involved in the Melbourne Uni Fencing Club at the time, and when we exited from the Church the fencing club had rocked up and they performed a guard of honor for us. We didn't ask for it or plan it, they decided to do it.

One of my earliest memories of Andreas was at Conquest. I recall playing a game called "Lace and Steel" a roleplay game and on one of the nights we had a costume freeform in the Pancake Parlor that used to be in Market Lane in the city.

When we were first going out we were involved in the SCA. I loved the costuming side and Andreas loved the warfare side. We used to get together at Melbourne Girls College school oval every month for SCA practice and Thursday nights we had dance rehearsal on Smith Street in Collingwood (WG Raven Funeral Parlor, now no longer in existance).

Andreas proposed to me in Germany, in his home town of Holtzminden. We had decided to take an overseas trip over the summer of 1991/1992. We saved for what seemed like ages and I still have the savings term deposit slip showing the interest rate of 14.25% when I withdrew my savings. We did the good 'ol European backpacking trip. Andreas met my relatives in Scotland/England and I met his.

Since we met we have been overseas too many times and had lots of adventures. We have built a house but more importantly (and perhaps our greatest achievement so far) is that we have built a little person ...
We spend a lot of our time laughing at things, humor is a very big part of our lives. Creativity is another force in our relationship. But I guess the most important factor is that he is my best friend.
A lot of my students ask me how I can stay with the same person for so long, and I generally answer "I don't". Neither of us are the same people we were back in 1990 when we met or even 1995 when we married. We have both changed and evolved, and Andreas influence in my life has made me a better person.

Happy Anniversary ...