The stories of my life on a little island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea ... and my occasional adventures beyond these shores.

Saturday 15 June 2013

A Decade

My husband and I met here in Malta in a pub called Zmerc (which is pronounced Zmerch). It was the summer of 2000 and he was in Malta for a family reunion. You see, his mum is Maltese and I was good friends with his cousin (or rather, second cousin, but everyone is a cousin here in Malta). I received a phone call at work that morning and was invited to attend. Having nothing planned, I decided that I would. I suppose you could say that the rest is history – but not quite.
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Meeting new people in person is always tough for me. So I spent the evening sipping Chardonnay, answering questions and smiling a lot. The next day was business as usual and the previous evening was soon just a hazy  memory. Life went  on and I never thought back about that night. A year later, I got uninvolved with the person I had been dating and a few weeks after that I wrote my first e-mail to a handsome guy from St Louis. We wrote back and forth every day, and now that I know my husband so much better, I realise how hard that must have been for him. Unlike me, he is not a scribbler. That December he returned to Malta for another cousin’s wedding and we became inseparable.
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But we had to separate, of course, making plans to meet in the US the following year. Since that visit,  I’ve travelled to America many times, but that first trip stands out as the most memorable. We met in Chicago and I can still remember feeling dazed and jet-lagged, walking in the shadow of some of the tallest buildings I had ever seen and trying to take it all in. It felt surreal. Chicago has a vibe all of its own and it resonates well with me, even though I am not a city person. But it has carved a niche in my heart and I love it most of all the US cities I have seen so far. After Chicago, we flew to St Louis to meet family and then we headed west, to Salt Lake City. From there we drove to Moab, visiting Arches National Park and Bryce Canyon  National Park and then on to Las Vegas and the West Rim of the Grand Canyon.
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Perhaps it was inevitable, but I was still shocked when he proposed to me on the 8th of July, as the sun set behind Delicate Arch in Moab. We were married ten years ago today, in a small church, in my home town. It’s foundation stone was laid in 1492 – quite appropriate, don’t you think?
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This post is long enough, so I won’t go into our actual wedding day. Maybe I will write about that some other time. For today, I will leave you with ‘our song’.

15 comments:

  1. Loree, Happy Anniversary to you and your husband. May God bless you with many more happy years together.
    Sue.

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  2. Enjoyed reading this so much Lorna...........very sweet. And I listened to the whole video......never realized Steve Tyler was actually good looking, aside from his great voice. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Lovely. Happy Anniversary.

    I'm new to your writing. Might I ask what brought you to Malta? a stork? or more mundane travel?

    Thank you, Joan

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  4. So, he moved from ST. LOUIS to MALTA???Lovely story..............more please!LA CONTESSA in AMERICA who wishes to be back in ITALIA and always wanted to go to MALTA when she lived there!

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  5. Loree, happy anniversary! Ah, this was such a lovely post -- I could completely picture you demurely sipping on your Chardonnay in that first evening. You and your husband have truly traveled the world together. And it is *so* you to finish the post with an Aerosmith song. :) :)

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  6. What a fantastic love story! It's destined, and congrats on your anniversary!

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  7. oh, what a lovely story. happy anniversary, loree. :)

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  8. Heart touching story. Thanks for sharing. Happy Anniversary!

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  9. You married on my birthday, that's why it brought you luck and happiness, lol !
    I too from all big cities I have seen in the States love Chicago the most. It has such a beautiful architecture ! We will celebrate 44 years in October !

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  10. i loved reading about how your met your husband and learning that he is from our neck of the woods! early anniversary wishes to you both (and i would love to hear the song, but couldn't b/c the audio didn't work when i clicked it :((

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  11. Oh, happy happy anniversary to you, and wishing you many more! (And thank you for your kind comments - I know my posts have been sad, and I so appreciate you "sitting with me" in my grief.)

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  12. Happy anniversary Loree. Loved this post & hope you write the rest of the story soon... :-D

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  13. What a beautiful love story Loree! I am yet to visit Chicago, but it is on my list. Congratulations on 10 years xx

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  14. What a wonderful story, Happy Anniversary!

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Thanks for stopping by. I read and appreciate every one of your comments. I will do my best to reply whenever I can.

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