Ellen and Michael, Forty Years

On July 22nd, my cousins threw a surprise Anniversary party for my Aunt Ellen and Uncle Michael, who were celebrating forty years of marriage on that very day. On July 22nd, 1967, my mom's sister, Ellen Barrett and Michael Cunha were married in the village of Bo in Sierra Leone, West Africa. They were both in the Peace Corps, and met during training. They fell in love during their first year in Sierra Leone, and spent the second year as a married couple. I've always been fascinated by the photographs my Mom had of their wedding day and her visit. She, my Aunt Martha and my grandfather flew all the way to West Africa to meet Michael and stand up for Ellen. The photos of the village and it's people were so beautiful, and the colors so vibrant. As a little girl, I always asked my mom to tell me about the wedding in Africa, and she would tell me of how Aunt Ellen made her own wedding gown, how they picked flowers for their bouquets that morning from vines that grew beside the chapel, and of the amazing live music and dancing during the reception. Aunt Ellen and Uncle Mike were so suprised that we had all gathered to honor them in memory of that day forty years ago, and they had so much fun. Here's to Ellen and Michael, and forty years of adventure, laughter, and love!