Monday, August 21, 2017

BARB'S AND MY 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Can it be?  Today, August 21, 2017, is the 50th anniversary of Barb’s and my marriage.  I guess we are doing something right as it has been a great half century for us.  

We met in 1965 in Cincinnati, Ohio a couple of months after I was discharged from the U. S. Air Force in September of that year.  It was a classic case of me falling for the proverbial “girl next door.”  She didn’t live next door went I went into the service in 1961 but miraculously she had moved in with her family while I was gone.

Since we were both students at the University of Cincinnati, we drove together to school many times and after she got her teaching degree in 1967 we got married and moved to Missouri where she began her teaching career.  At the same time, I completed by bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Missouri which was near the base where I had been stationed in the USAF.

After my graduation in 1969 I spent a career in sales to the grocery store industry in the Kansas City area.  At the same time Barb taught elementary school near our home in Johnson County, Kansas near Kansas City.  By 1989, we retired to Scottsdale, Arizona where we have lived since.  It’s hot in the summer but the winters are great.

We have been fortunate to have a lot of good things fall into place over the years.  Hopefully we will be as fortunate during the next 50 years!

Thanks for reading and leave comments below if you wish!

CINCINNATI, OHIO, AUGUST 21,  1967


                   


















SCOTTSDALE, AZ, AUGUST 21, 2017 (Yes, that's MY hair!)

                                                              


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46 comments:

  1. Jim McAllister2:54 PM

    Thanks for reading. Please leave comments if you wish.

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  2. Spinster Glo :)3:27 PM

    Congratulation, Jim & Barb! That's an amazing accomplishment. My brother and SIL have been married for 52 years, and I admire anyone who can make that journey. May you have many more years together!

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  3. Jim McAllister3:30 PM

    JOHN
    3:16 PM (7 minutes ago)

    to me

    Jim and Barb

    HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jim McAllister3:30 PM

    Thanks, Doc!

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  5. Jim McAllister3:32 PM

    Thanks, Glo. I've been lucky. Hope all is well with you.

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  6. Anonymous3:39 PM

    Many congrats Barb and Jim!......Have you contacted "Ripley's Believe or Not" yet?.........I would think 50 years would be some kind of world's record nowadays!......lol........Shoot for another 50!.......Love you both!.....Sonny

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  7. Joe Finnerty3:44 PM

    Happy anniversary.. Fifty is a remarkable number.

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  8. Jim McAllister5:10 PM

    From Pat Budge, AAM of Legend Trail

    Congratulations!!

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  9. Jim McAllister5:11 PM

    Thanks, Pat.

    JM

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  10. Jim McAllister5:15 PM

    Thanks, Jim.

    We're going to the casino at Talking Stick for dinner and a little gambling. What the hell; we only live once. Thanks for the note.

    Congrats on your 30 years!

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  11. Jim McAllister5:16 PM

    Congratulations! We are working on our 30th since this is second time around for both of us. Go do something special with Barb.

    Jim Johnson

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  12. Jim McAllister5:24 PM

    "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY" Jim and Barb!

    Congratulations to You Both!

    A celebration of two hearts that only belong together.

    I wrote this on your Blog Jim but couldn't figure out how to show that it was
    me at the end so thought I would send you two a Congratulations email.

    Love,
    Dennis & Jerilyn

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  13. Jim McAllister5:24 PM

    Thanks Jerilyn and Dennis.

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  14. Jim McAllister5:28 PM

    Thanks, Marla.

    Always good to hear from you.

    Jim and Barb

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  15. Jim McAllister5:29 PM

    Happy Anniversary

    And Many More .....

    Sorry no card but Forgot to check my calendar for August Dates

    Marla

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  16. Jim McAllister5:34 PM

    Thanks, NK. Good to hear from you. Hope you are still strumming that bass guitar!

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  17. Jim McAllister5:39 PM

    Thanks, Joe.

    Always great to hear from you. I hope all is well

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  18. Jim McAllister11:23 PM

    From Joy Wiseman:

    It is wonderful to hear from you folks and k now that today is your 50th wedding anniversary. I hope you are doing a little something special to mark the day!

    Yours,
    Joy Wiseman

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  19. Jim McAllister11:24 PM

    Thanks, Joy.

    Al;ways great to hear from you. I hope all is well.

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  20. Jim McAllister11:08 AM

    Good job, Mac…50 years is a rare feat in this day and age. I wish you and Barb an eternity. If you don’t think that's a possibility, pick up a copy (Amazon) of Brian Weiss’s book, “Only Love Is Real…A Story of Soulmates Reunited”. Brian Weiss, M.D. is a Yale educated psychiatrist. You probably knew that August 21, 2017, the date of your picture, was the same day of the Solar Eclipse. I was in St. Joseph, MO with my son and grandson witnessing totality

    Best, Jack

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  21. Jim McAllister11:16 AM

    Thanks, Jack.

    I keep re-adding the years hoping to come up with maybe 40 or 30 but it keeps saying 50. I guess I really am that old!

    It's been a great ride with Barb. Fate is a funny thing. Of all the places she could have moved in Cincinnati in the 60s her family chose next door to me. When I returned from the USAF there she was reading a book in the backyard of the house next door. I quickly put a little extra Brylcream on my hair did a few "ahems" and the rest is history.

    What's with our boy Dave? I see in the KC paper that he is in trouble with the Feds over cheating the VA. I guess it wouldn't be Dave without some kind of controversy.

    Thanks for the note; best to Clo Anne.

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  22. Jim McAllister11:20 AM

    Happy anniversary!! Have a great day! (dave Kutz)

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  23. Jim McAllister11:21 AM

    Thanks, Dave

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  24. Jim McAllister11:25 AM

    Jim,
    To both yourself and Barb, congratulations, so much continued happiness and good health, that’s a benchmark, worth celebrating.
    All the best,
    Randy

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  25. Jim McAllister11:26 AM

    Thanks, Randy.

    I hope all is well with you. It's been a while.

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  26. Jim McAllister11:28 AM

    CONGRATULATIONS! 🍾

    Steve Kloschak

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  27. Jim McAllister11:28 AM

    Thanks, Steve!

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  28. Jim McAllister11:33 AM

    To Mike in Cincy,

    Thanks for the Twitter comment, Mike.

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  29. Mike Slater1:46 PM

    Jim,

    Congrats to you and barb. 50 years is a real accomplishment now days. Deb and I hope to make it in 2030.

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  30. Jim McAllister5:04 PM

    David Biersmith
    12:03 PM (4 hours ago)

    to me
    Congratulations.to you both!!
    You were so lucky to have such a wonderful neighbor,
    David

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  31. Jim McAllister5:07 PM

    Thanks, Dave.

    50 years zips by quickly.

    Which neighbor is that?

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  32. Jim McAllister5:11 PM

    Mike Slater
    1:46 PM (3 hours ago)

    to me
    Mike Slater has left a new comment on your post "BARB'S AND MY 50TH ANNIVERSARY":

    Jim,

    Congrats to you and barb. 50 years is a real accomplishment now days. Deb and I hope to make it in 2030.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Jim McAllister5:12 PM

    Thanks, Mike.

    It has been a nice trip through those 50 years. A good old fashioned "girl next door" story. LOL

    Thanks for the comment.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Jim McAllister9:40 AM

    Jim & Barb,

    Congrats on your 50 years together.....doesn't time fly when you're having fun....keep it going friends.

    Nancy & I celebrated our 50th last year, now almost to number 51.

    Enjoy life.

    Dave Wells

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  35. Jim McAllister9:41 AM

    Thanks, Dave.

    It's been a nice trip through the years with Barb. You and I have been lucky with the ladies!

    Jim

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  36. Unknown6:29 PM

    Wow! Fifty years with the same woman!

    After three swings in marriage, each lasting 7 years, including Dora's death, I figured love isn't my thing or something. My uncle, also a writer and a veteran, had even worse luck with women.

    However, with Jen, we skipped marriage and went straight to divorce, to where she got the farm and I got the studio. She's a good caretaker of me, so I decided to keep her.

    But Jim and Barb figured it out. Somehow they stayed together for 50 years. I don't wish to know the secret, thank you. I'll go out with SN, though. Maybe some other rock star. The conversation would be worth the cost of a fancy meal.

    VA's not gonna treat me, Jimmy. Nobody is. Not to worry, old mate. Magic.

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  37. Jim McAllister8:08 PM

    Thanks for the note, Rick. 50 years sure glies by in a hurry when you have the right girl. I was lucky

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  38. Unknown6:00 PM

    Update, Jimmy. The VA has set three appointments with me. So in about a month, fun times begin.

    Until then, I'm gonna be celebrating Jimmy and Barb's anniversary! Woo Hoo! Root beer all around! More celebrating Jimmy and Barb's anniversary! Creme Soda! Party like an elderly rock star!

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  39. Unknown8:46 AM

    I've got to stop arguing politics on Facebook. It's not really fair. I've come to realize that I'm a celebrity and I shouldn't be mixing with civilians so much.

    I really should move to a legal marijuana state for my medical issues. There's a few studios that are willing to let me help them out and learn more. Then I can give Jen a really big mansion that I've earned too. She also wants a big house, real kitchen, and on a large estate. I can email her and she can drive on a golf cart from her side of the mansion for dinner. We'll make appearances at the Mack Awards (named for Dell Mack) and wave to our fans. All eleven of them. We strive for quality and not quantity. Yes, I am learning to think just like SN. Except, no pushup bra and dress.

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  40. Unknown1:53 PM

    Jimmy, I two Jen two dozen long stem and short stem wrenches today! She was grinning from ear to ear. The way to a woman's heart is through her tool cabinet.

    I've been wanting a home by a lake and Jen told me yesterday that she found a lakeside lot for a reasonable price. It's got tennis courts and more! Jen is mapping out my life! Jen said that she wants to buy it, because I'm always talking about going fishing. Good Lord! I found the best woman in Missouri!

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  41. Jim McAllister5:15 PM

    I've found that an adjustable open end wrench turns on women the most. If possible, get a Craftsman from Sears.. That's the one they like the best. For extra credit a gallon of Allstate oil always works!

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  42. Mike Slater3:54 PM

    Jim,

    Craftsman tools are the best. I still have some I bought 40 years ago. They come in handy since my wife is always dreaming up new home improvement projects that always seem to involve me.

    Luckily tomorrow is my Birthday so all I have to do is go to lunch and relax the rest of the day.

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  43. Jim McAllister4:37 PM

    Mike,

    Absolutely on Craftsman. That's all we ever used in Cincy while growing up. I still have a few of them from then; still good as ever.

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  44. Unknown4:09 PM

    Craftsman tools are crap, Jim. They don't honor the guarantee anymore.

    I used to buy nothing but Craftsman, but when Emerson bought them, the brand went to hell. I hear it's even worse now. Stanley is better than Craftsman now, believe it or not.

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  45. Jim McAllister9:48 PM

    Rick,

    I haven't bought any tools in years. Thanks for the info. Sounds like Craftsman has seen better days just like Sears.

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  46. CJinPhoenix10:26 PM

    Congratulations to you & Barb, Jim!

    ReplyDelete