We had a near-perfect weekend celebrating my Mom and Dad and 50 years of marriage. Amazing. We all gathered in Kansas City and stayed together at a house my Mom and Dad rented in Shawnee Mission. The house had enough room for us all and a pool. We swam almost every day and the pool was a huge hit. We had a special lunch at Lidia's and it was delicious and the service was wonderful. Grant put together a slide show, Nathan put together a playlist, and there were lots of beautiful toasts from friends and family.
A highlight of the event was a letter from Anna that my Dad had Eric read on the spot. It was a perfect tribute.
Dear Ron and Nicki,
“A perfect relationship isn’t actually perfect, it’s just that both people never give up.”
~Anonymous
Your 50 years of marriage is a testament to this. To creating the perfect relationship by being
devoted to each other and your love for one another.
We all know marriage is not easy, but the two of you have grown together and continue to be in love
and share a “perfect” relationship, because neither of you, ever gave up. I can only imagine the ebs
and flows through all that has happened in your lives…including raising four children. You two are
an incredible example of what true love is. Dedication. Understanding. Loyalty. Trust. Respect.
Commitment. Teamwork. Time. Forgiveness. Support. Selflessness. Joy. Play. Care. Concern.
Friendship. Compassion.
It has been a blessing to have you both in my life and to witness your dynamic relationship together.
I love when Nicki says, “Roni” with a young girls’ flirt in her voice. And how Ron’s eyes light up and
heart seems to skip a beat when his phone rings and he sees Nicki’s name. Some folks that have
celebrated 50 years of marriage together may give off more the vibe of “putting up with each other”,
but not the two of you. Ron and Nicki, you two go together like peanut butter and jelly. It is rare
when one is better without the other. Some would say you are lucky, which you no doubt are for
finding each other, but I credit your beautiful relationship to each of you. No doubt, there have been
challenges but you both have used those to become better individuals and better together. I used to
think relationships were supposed to be perfect or they weren’t “worth” being in. I thought that is
how you knew it was a good relationship. You both have taught me differently. You have been an
incredible role model for what a strong, healthy, relationship is. Thank you for being an inspiration
and showing what it takes. Thank you for raising an incredible young man who also understands
and holds all the values and qualities the two of you do. A young man I look forward to celebrating
50th years with.
It is an absolute pleasure to be around you two together. The respect you give each other, the energy,
kindness and support you have for one another is contagious. May we all have the strength and
courage to never give up and create a perfect relationship as you two have done over the years,
falling more in love with each day.
May you have the greatest celebration today! I hope you have an incredible time celebrating each
other and being proud of the devotion you have shown your marriage and example you have shared
for the rest of us.
“It’s not about where you go life, but who you have beside you.” ~ Unknown
HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY!!!!
With much love,
Anna
It is hard to put into words how incredible it is to be the daughter of Ron and Nicki. I think Anna truly did them justice as they are true examples of love, loyalty, family, faith, and generosity. I can't even imagine my life without my family and I loved our time together where it all began and with people who know our journey.
Nick (Uncle Jack's son) and his fiance Nykia joined us from Detroit! They even came by the house on Sunday evening and played the newlywed game with us. Uncle Grant took Colton, JR, and Samuel to Six Flags on Saturday and they had a blast. I stayed at the air bnb and rested because my stomach was upset. Thankfully, I felt better by Sunday.
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