Happy 32nd Anniversary!

Cath and Bob. Newlyweds on June 25, 1983.

On June 25, 1983, Bob Hennessey and I were married on a picture perfect early summer day, thankfully cooler after a very hot and humid week. Although It seems like a very long time ago in both time and space, the decades have passed happily, with the usual challenges.

At 32 I was an "older" bride, beginning to establish my place in the Canadian banking industry. I occasionally sensed an undercurrent of disapproval among those closest to me, particularly since I was leaving Canada for Minnesota, a state I knew mainly from watching the TV coverage of Hubert Humphrey's funeral in 1978. I had no idea that starting over in the US would be so daunting, and I'd misjudged the degree of homesickness I would feel. I sometimes wondered if love was enough.

Mary Hennessey, Sonia Munoz with Angie, Cath & Bob, best man John Hennessey

Marilyn Marshall, Cath, Bob, my mother, Mary Ryan

After the first lonely year, things gradually got better. Minnesota ways were now familiar and I finally got my first half decent job at Midwest Federal Savings and Loan Association. Three years into our marriage I became a mother and took the oath of American citizenship. A little later, I began a 23-year career as an employee of the State of Minnesota and settled into a life that soon included kids' sports and school activities. The Hennesseys -- and there are lots of them -- became my family.

Over the years, Bob and I spent hours in hockey arenas and in baseball field bleachers. We also camped, boated, skied, skated, and traveled all over the country and a little in Europe. About a decade ago, we were suddenly empty nesters and marveled that the children who once played on the sidewalk and in the yard were all grown up, some with families of their own.

I had to look up gifts for a 32nd anniversary. Seems as though some kind of "conveyance" (vehicle, bicycle, skateboard ...) will do the trick, but we already have enough toys that qualify as conveyances, so we'll have to pass on this one and enjoy a good dinner at Pazzaluna instead, using  a Christmas gift card from son Chris.

I've been married to Bob for nearly half my life and I'm glad I took that leap of faith all those years ago. Life has been kind to us; we've laughed a lot and had a hell of a good time. Turns out love was all we needed after all.