Author: Andy Smallman

So you know that painting that Fish Astronaut made for Melinda and me, the one in the background in yesterday’s post? He first created it when Melinda and I launched Kind Living, back in 2011 when we were in France.

At first, the KL website was going to include photos that Melinda and I took while living in France. We started building the website and it didn’t really work.

About the same time, however, Fish started illustrating my online kindness classes. I asked if he’d be willing to do the same for the website and he readily obliged.

For the link that introduces Melinda and me, the Kind Living team, we had first planned to use this sweet picture (see above) of a kiss Melinda and I shared in the doorway of our home in Nantes. I sent it to Fish and he created the drawing you see to the right.

And the drawing became a painting that became an anniversary present.

Yesterday was Melinda’s and my 23rd anniversary. A lot has happened in those 23 years! A couple of kids, a school, something to do with kindness. Most importantly, it’s been a heck of a marriage so far. And if we make it to the end of 2014 (you never can tell…), it will be 24 years. The year after that, 25. That’s right, I can add.

By one.

Melinda set it up for us to spend the night at a swanky hotel in downtown Seattle called the Inn at the Market (as in the Pike Place Market). We had a late New Year’s Eve dinner at a nearby French restaurant called Le Pichet. We were there from 10:15 until about 1:30, the last customers to leave. The staff were very kind to us, encouraging us to stay as they cleaned up and even giving me a Poire William and Melinda a cognac at a little past 1am in celebration of our anniversary.

Sweet!

The photo here is one taken yesterday by Ella just before Chloe drove us into town. The painting behind us was completed by my Internet artist friend Fish Astronaut at my request for Melinda’s and my anniversary. It’s based on a drawing he made for us, and of us, while we were in France.