Unusual anniversary apart for Earth Vagabonds

By / June 29, 2024 / commentary

Timisoara, Romania – 2023

Penang, Malaysia – 2022

Malay, Aklan, Philippines – 2021

Malay, Aklan, Philippines – 2020

Chiang Mai, Thailand – 2019

Split, Croatia – 2018

Antigua, Guatemala – 2017

Mexico City, Mexico – 2016

Those are the places we have been each year on our wedding anniversary: June 29.

This year — for the first time, and hopefully last — my wife Ellen and I are apart.

I’m back in Malay, Aklan, Philippines, with the friends we made during the two ‘Covid years’ we spent here. Ellen is currently in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA visiting family and handling other personal affairs.

I’m not ‘anniversary happy’. 😦

Sure – I’ve chatted and messaged with my dear wife via Facebook and WhatsApp today. But I want her here in my arms, in my bed, where we both belong — together.

I do take comfort in the fact that in barely one week – July 8 – we will reunite in Tokyo, Japan, and start again our early retired life of wandering our amazing planet.

Still, these past two months have been too much. Even a few weeks apart feels too long at this point. I don’t want to spend any more anniversaries separated.

Above are our ‘anniversary photos’ from this year. There I am with one of my favorite Filipino couples – Beth and Bobbie Prado. Their anniversary date: November 17, 1993.

Ellen is pictured with her sister Karen and brother-in-law Tony (right) – and our long-time friends Becky and Brian Haywood (center). I don’t know their exact anniversary dates – but both couples have been married much longer than our nine years.

All of them are great people and beautiful souls and inspirations to us. But it hurts that we are with them individually — some 8,500 miles apart. Never again!

Happy anniversary, Ellie. I love you so much! And let’s make sure we don’t celebrate like this any more.

I love the picture below: taken after our wedding ceremony on the beach in San Diego, California in 2015. It was truly the ‘kickoff’ of our crazy travel dream. Less than six months later, we were temporarily living in Central America — and we’ve never looked back.

I can’t wait to be with Ellie in Tokyo… and South Korea after that… then Taiwan… then?  She’s the best travel spouse imaginable. And I assure you, wherever we are next June 29 – it will be together.

As always, be thankful and generous,  happy trails & more beer.

Life is NOW!

Thanks for reading, “Unusual anniversary apart for Earth Vagabonds.”

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