What a difference five years can make in a life. On 1-9-05 I was a single girl. I’d been single a long time. On this cold and unusually snowy Seattle Sunday, my first date with Big Papa was on the calendar. We’d arranged for me to pick him up and drive to the Bainbridge Island Ferry terminal where we’d take the ferry over to the island, do a bit of wine tasting at the Bainbridge Island Winery and see if there was any chemistry between us.

There was and five years later, his home is now our home. It is an amazing irony that our home number is 1905, the same numbers as the date we first met. I’d like to think we were meant to be.

In this short period of time, we’ve been through a lot. We’ve enjoyed many wonderful, amazing experiences together along with our share of trials and tribulations. Becoming a twosome past forty-something (though first marriages for us both) brings a different set of adjustments in making a life together than getting hitched in one’s twenties.

Big Papa now sports a beard. My hair is longer. We’ve both got more lines in our faces.

We moved my father from Florida to Seattle and he lives in nearby in an assisted living facility (having him here has brought its own set of challenges); two beloved cats have passed away (Joel’s Cleo and my Madison). We’re on the path to adopt a child.

Our tiny, old (circa 1898) house, lovingly known as ‘The Urban Cabin,’ has undergone some changes recently too. We added 150 square feet to the back of the house, moved the laundry upstairs (it used to be in our dirt floor basement), refaced the kitchen cabinets and fir floors, put on a new deck and opened up the back with lots of windows and light. It’s the same house, but with its face lift, it sure feels different.

This afternoon the Urban Cabin will fill with friends to celebrate two occasions, our five years together and our “new and improved” digs. As I look around, my world has changed in so many remarkable ways, both literally and figuratively.

No matter how tough times have gotten in the past five years, I count my blessings to be where I am, in the Urban Cabin with Big Papa by my side. Being together makes this house a home and adds riches beyond words to both our lives.