Don’t get me wrong here, all of them are important, but I eventually learned that the double-digit numbers, divisible by 5, are really important when it comes to anniversary celebrations 10, 15, 20 and 25 years, etc.

Knowing that the gift I was planning would take a lot of time to put together, by the fall of 2008 I was already making some big plans for our 30th wedding anniversary the following spring.   I had ordered a large set of matching luggage and planned to hide tickets for an Alaskan excursion in the smallest carry-on piece as a Christmas present to Libby.  Admittedly, I was killing two birds with one stone here because she would be getting one gift for both Christmas and our anniversary (plus the luggage) if anyone is keeping score.

Our lives, and their priorities changed so drastically after the cancer diagnosis that I never ordered the airline tickets and, quiet frankly, forgot all about plans for our anniversary excursion.  When the backordered luggage finally arrived there were so many more pressing issues on my mind that I casually stored the gift in an un-used closet, where they have remained ever since, still nested together like colorful Russian dolls.

That spring, as our 30th wedding anniversary approached we were not on our way to Alaska, although we had discussed the possibility many times, that trip was way down the list of our priorities.  Even though we were not going to exotic places we were having fun as evidenced by the blog “OK, Now I Remember—— What I Forgot!” where I told the story about the time Libby forgot her wig and was seen out in public for the first time with her ultra short hair.  It was the early part of June in 2009 and I was posting health updates on a site called Caring Bridge; here is an entry I made to that site after Libby went out in public without a wig.

Caring Bridge Site Post   By Barry Gilley — Jun 9, 2009 10:57am

… until our trip to the Pizza Hut very few people had seen my “silver fox”.  This venture out into public without her wig was a major step for Libby and it has started a chain reaction because the next day on Sunday morning, Libby wore a hat to church without a wig.  Then on Sunday night there was no wig and no hat, but the change to Libby’s appearance was so radical that when she went to radiation therapy on Monday (without a wig) no one in the office recognized her!  So, just to let you know that from now on when you see Libby in public she could look just the same as she used to (in her brown wig) as seen below,