I’ve always loved visiting downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, with its historic waterfront, quirky little shops, multicultural atmosphere and lively pubs.
My husband and I stayed there following our modest wedding ceremony in October 1991, and recently we returned to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary.
The weekend was a full-circle moment. Saturday in Halifax was as colorful, sunny and warm as it was 18 years ago. We spent most of the day wandering: visiting the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, darting in and out of art stores and markets. We lingered at a coffee shop on the waterfront with an old friend I hadn’t seen since my wedding day, and we ordered lunch at a pub from a friendly girl dressed like a barwench. (Kent suggested that we go back to the costume store on the corner and try to find an outfit just like it, but I thought I’d wait for our 20th anniversary to make that kind of effort…)
All joking aside, I realized that more full-circle moments were coming. Marriage began with our wedding night, just the two of us. Eighteen years later, we were alone again, but this time to escape our busy family-of-five lifestyle. Next time we stay alone in Halifax, will we be empty-nesters? After that, will our children be married off? Then, grandparenthood? The older I get, the more astonished I am at how quickly life is flying by.
