Robert and Hootoksi's 50'th Wedding Anniversary
Seattle, 8 December 2021
Pandemic, travel restrictions, voices of doom, nothing was going to stop us from celebrating our 50th Wedding Anniversary with our children in the US and Canada.
We told them we would figure out how to get there, but they would have to give us a surprise celebration - and what a celebration it was!
We were not involved in any of the details; all the plotting and planning was done over 2 months by Michel, Farhad and Adil over the phone and in between their busy schedules.
Because of the pandemic and the difficulty of getting around, Ursula, our grandchildren, nephews, and nieces were not able to be with us.
Seattle and Farhad’s home was selected as the focal point. We were the first to arrive, followed by Adil who drove down from the Sunshine Coast, Kershasp flew in from Cleveland, Shehernavaz from Austin, and Michel, was the last to arrive, from LA.
All five of us were packed into Farhad’s charming Craftsman Cottage and my siblings stayed at a hotel close by, but only to sleep. Farhad, ever the caring and attentive host, looked after all our needs and provided for us, driving us here and there in his bus which accommodated us all!
Every day leading up to the 8th was a celebration! Fun, laughter, lots of time around the table, eating, drinking, reminiscing, cooking and feeling rich counting Farhad’s pennies from his penny jar!
Augie, F’s beloved 15-year-old pooch, was very much a _part of the festivities though he seemed put out by all the fuss and the noise!
On the 7th it was Michel’s birthday, we performed the ceremonial Parsi “sagan” and toasted the birthday boy. Watch the video.
On the 8th, our BIG DAY, we were taken out for a sumptuous brunch followed by a High Tea at a hotel where a function room had been hired for the occasion.
After the brunch Michel guarded us at home while Farhad, Adil and Josephine, (Farhad’s girlfriend) set up the room for the tea. At a signal from his brothers, Michel drove us to the venue where we were garlanded and led to special chairs which had been set up for us. The space was decorated beautifully with gold-coloured balloons and flowers, and we sipped tea from gold rimmed cups and saucers and ate snacks from gold rimmed plates!
A large screen had been set up and projected on it, were tributes and messages of love and affection from family and friends all over the world. These kept rolling on, photos, messages, videos and memories blending into one another. Though we were only 8 of us in the room, we felt the good wishes love and affection of all our near and dear ones who seemed to be right there in front of us. We felt so blessed, overwhelmed and humbled by it all.
Two months earlier Farhad had started contacting folks by email, requesting them to upload their greetings, photos and videos on a digital Kudoboard and the result of everyone coming together for us was so beautifully conveyed, it was a Golden celebration for sure!
Michel’s musician friend Yogi arrived with his keyboard and played the Johnny Mathis song “My love for you” which I sang to Rob, then our children presented us with a golden trophy to the sound of fireworks that went off behind us on the screen 
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Later we drove to an Indian Restaurant, the Frangipani, for a sumptuous dinner to wrap up what had been a most memorable and special day.
There was one last surprise for us in the mail from Michel, Farhad and Adil. It was a queen-sized bedspread with photos of them and their children woven into it. It is such a fabulous gift and a constant reminder of our treasured ones and our Golden Anniversary. The other gift from our children is the '50 Golden Years' trophy which has pride of place in our home.
In January when we were with Michel in Los Angeles, he recorded me singing a song to Robert. This time I was accompanied by Faroukh (M’s friend) on guitar Cousin Karl on bass and my beloved Michel on drums. Another wish fulfilled……………..
Here's a short video of our 50 years of married life together.
We received a lot of cards by post. Here are a few of them. 
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