In good times...

and in bad.

Those are traditional wedding vows, very similar to the ones Graham and I took a little over two years ago, and that we experienced in the most bittersweet way recently.

On July 2nd, the day before our anniversary, Graham's mother passed away. It was not sudden or unexpected, as many of you who know us in "real life" are aware, and I had alluded to the situation in the post about our trip to North Carolina several weeks ago. 

April had been battling cancer and we are so very lucky that she had many happy years after her initial diagnosis. Our wedding, her visit to Spain last year, and the precious time that we spent with her recently are all cherished memories. 

While we absolutely love living in Spain, this is one of those times that we have acutely felt the literal ocean of distance that separates us from family and so many of our friends. We have received an overwhelming outpouring of support, from both near and far, and for that we are so incredibly grateful. Soon, we will travel back to the States for the memorial service and to spend time with Graham's father, brother, and family friends.

We are doing as well as can be expected, but decided to postpone celebrating our anniversary until our trip to Bordeaux later this month. Right now, we are focused on honoring April's memory, finding comfort in spending time together, supporting each other, and knowing that there will be a better time for champagne and toasting our wedding day, which seems to be the very meaning of the vows that we took.