Happy Anniversary!

Steve's brother - best man, and my sister - matron of honor

Steve's brothers

The Happy Couple (or Look How Young and Optimistic We Were!)

I have no idea where the time went, but apparently we’ve been married fifteen years this week. Wow. I have no wisdom about marriage, no advice, no secrets of wedded bliss. I guess something is working since we’re still married and happy, but I have no clue what it is that makes it work. I couldn’t write a book about it, I can barely put these sentences together. It’s a huge mystery to me and the best I can come up with is: be nice, work hard, and say ‘thank you’. Oops, I said I wasn’t going to give advice, didn’t I? It’s hardly advice. Your mother was probably telling you that since you were born.

Some memories of our wedding day: It was a beautiful spring day. We got married at my parent’s home which was an historic victorican built around 1864. At the time it was just home and I didn’t give much thought to the setting except that it meant a lot to my parents that we have the wedding there. But since they have sold the house these photos are precious to me. Sometimes I drive by the house and don’t get nostalgic for the time I lived there, but just for the fact that we were married on the front porch and I remember how beautiful that day was.

My parents rented white tents, tables, and chairs for the ceremony and reception our on the lawn. It was an amazing sight. One of the neighbors took a panoramic photo and gave it to my parents. They still have the photo sitting on a shelf. They were so proud to have the wedding at their home.

One funny thing that happened that we still laugh about is that my sister clogged the kitchen sink the day before the wedding. We were making potato salad and other food for the reception and she put onion skins down the garbage disposal. (WHO puts onion skins down the garbage disposal??? I thought everyone knew that!!) So the Roto Rooter guys had to come unclog the drain in the middle of our cookfest. It was stressful, but it was soon over and we could laugh about it.

I remember the morning of the wedding I woke up with anticipation of what the day would bring. So much to do, so little time! I felt a bit overwhelmed, but very excited. And I’ve never really enjoyed the spotlight so I was looking forward to getting the ceremony over and moving on to the reception. I was looking forward to the food! We had smoked turkey sandwiches, german potato salad, and this amazing wedding cake with cream cheese frosting and raspberry filling. I know there was much other food, but that’s all I cared about. It was amazing.

Steve arrived early for the photos the morning of the wedding and I remember seeing him in his tuxedo for the first time. Wow – so handsome!   And I recall thinking how odd it was that we were getting married today!   Of all the things to be doing on a beautiful spring day, and we were having this huge shin dig and getting married. As Shrek says, “Can’t we just settle it over pint?” Really? We’re having this great big deal just to get married? It was surreal.

I also remember looking out at all the guests and wondering how many of them knew we were expecting a child in five months. I was embarassed that we were having a big wedding since I was pregnant (big by my standards – but only 120 guests and only our siblings standing up with us, no bridemaids or groomsmen.) I knew that soon enough everyone in attendance would find out I was pregnant, but I knew people would be noticing that I was showing, etc. The whole thing was weird and at one point during the wedding preparations I wondered if we shouldn’t have just eloped somewhere. I am very glad we had the wedding so that family and friends could attend and be with us. It was an amazing day. And it’s been an amazing fifteen years.

my niece, me, mom, sister

my favorite wedding picture

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