It's Our Anniversery

I'm a lucky man!

Hey everybody. Today is a good day for the Henderson-Helzer clan. After all, it is our 6th anniversary. Which, for me, is a major milestone, considering my parents were never married. I did bear witness to my grandparents being married for over 60 years, and my Uncle being married for what is now 30 years, so I had good examples to emulate.

That being said, our love is our own.

Taken July 5, 2017, in Eugene, Oregon, at Lucky’s Bar.

I still remember those early wild days when we used to stay up until 4 am. It’s hard to imagine staying up that late now, but I appreciate that we’ve grown from that younger, more immature stage together.

Taken Aug. 19, 2018, in the Redwoods, California.

Alison, I could not be prouder to call you my wife. In the past six years, I have seen you grow from a young recent graduate to an executive. I’ve seen you learn what seems like a hundred songs and crochet and cross-stitch at least 200 pieces of random artworks.

I’ve watched you forge a better relationship with your parents. I’ve seen you turn our house into a home that anyone would be proud of.

We survived the first Trump administration and are surviving the current one. We’ve survived external attempts to break us up, and even looked beyond our own feelings of, “maybe we aren’t gonna make it.”

You’re more confident, beautiful, and smart than any woman I’ve ever met. I can say confidently that you are the only person for me, and I try every day to be the only person for you.

Mr. and Mrs. Henderson at the UO McNair Graduation Celebration, June 2025.

Even more important, you’re a person my mother would be proud to call a daughter.

Betty Carol Henderson approx. 1980.

We lost my mother on September 27, 2007. When Alison and I were looking for a date for our wedding, we chose the day that changed my life almost 20 years ago. As mentioned in a previous article, September 27 is a huge day for me.

On that day, I lost my mother, I got married, and I started at the University of Oregon. I consider it my New Year’s, as it is the day when I reset each year. And while it is one less year without my loving mother, it is one more year with my lovely wife. They are more similar than Alison would ever know, and I’m better for having them.

Betty Carol Henderson in Centreville, VA.

So, here’s to another year.

And ‘sco Ducks, who plays Penn State today. Long story short, my uncle played at Penn State when I was a kid, and our family used to drive to Happy Valley to see all the home games. So I’m hoping my mother is watching from Heaven and rooting for somebody to win.

Here is an article written by a former UO Professor of mine, Lori Shontz, M.Ed, about my uncle, when she was in college. Talk about a small world.

Cheers, and ever forward. And Happy Anniversary, babe.

Mr. and Mrs. Henderson

---

If you want, you can buy us drinks! We’re at the bar as I finish and publish this!