Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Big Day

Each week, Josie chooses two words as writing prompts.  We are to write something original (not just link up a past post) with one of the two words as the theme.  I have never done one, seeing as how my brain just couldn't come up with anything before.  This week, though...  This week, I'm in!

Your choice of word prompts for Tuesday, June 25th are: 
 big  or  waiting
 
I hope you'll join us!
 
********************
Nineteen years ago today, Hubby and I stood in front God and a church full of friends and family to receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.  It was a big day only in that it was the first day.  It was the first time we committed ourselves to sharing our life and love.  We have made this same promise every single day, whether it be out loud or in our actions.  To us, marriage is not simply "a piece of paper" but a sacred union.  It cannot be broken.  Most days, it is easy to make this promise.  On those days in which we are just plain annoyed with each other, it's harder, but it is even more important to do so.  Knowing that this is a sacred union, we are much more motivated to communicate better and clear up the disputes to bring us back around to the easy days. 
 
But today, as we humans are known to do, we will celebrate the first day.  The BIG day when we first committed ourselves to each other.
 
For me, the wedding day was not what one would consider a normal wedding day.  For much of it, I wasn't surrounded by throngs of people.  I went and had my hair done, headed to my grandma's to get a shower, then to my dad's to get dressed.  I dressed alone.  I waited for the photographer alone (except for the moments I had to talk my little sister into actually wearing her flower girl dress).  It was a peaceful morning of preparation and anticipation.

Oh, the hat.  The one regret I had on that day.  My mom had picked it out and gushed over it.  I, being the nice daughter, agreed to wear it.
 
Once everyone started arriving, things got hopping.  We had a few photos taken at the house, then on to the church.  We were married in a beautiful, old church where Hubby had gone to elementary school.  He grew up in a town that, years and years before, had been part of my family's farm.  Many of the streets have my family's names, and I'm related to half the people there.  We thought it was a wonderful place to wed.
 
It was a beautiful Mass, and we smiled the entire way through.  We were completely relaxed and simply enjoyed ourselves.  I asked my mom to accompany my dad and me down the aisle, seeing as how they had been divorced a good long time, and he wasn't really representing the both of them.  She was hesitant at first, but finally agreed.  We're both glad she did. My brothers and his sister did the readings, cousins were the servers, aunts were the Eucharistic Ministers.  His grandparents brought up the gifts. (My grandparents were there, but my grandpa wasn't able to do it.)

 
 
We all had a good laugh when, during the vows, Hubby flubbed my name.  He has some explanation, which he thinks is reasonable, but as far as I'm concerned, after 7 years of dating, he really should have had that part down pat.

 
 
Before the ceremony my youngest sister (about 7 at the time, and quite a corker) issued me a dare.  At the moment the priest said, "You may kiss the bride," she wanted me to look at Hubby and say, "I'd rather kiss a goat".  When the moment came, I could feel the giggle waiting, knew she was anxiously waiting for me to speak.  Hubby and I both smiled, knowing I wanted to say it out loud, but I couldn't do it.  We simply kissed, and everyone cheered.  Both Hubby and I have said it plenty of times since then, though, and each time it reminds us of that wonderful day.
 
The reception was in a converted barn at a local golf course.  Nothing fancy, to say the least.  It didn't matter.  We had a blast, dancing and visiting and laughing all night long. 

There was the usual cutting of the cake,



(yes, he did smash it in my face, but I got him better than he got me)



 and the first dance (to this):

  

Again, nothing fancy.  Basically just swaying.  My guy has lots of talents, but keeping a beat just ain't one of them.
 After the reception was over (we were close to the last to leave) we headed to our hotel.  All of the out-of-town guests were already in their rooms by the time we got there.  We made it to the front desk to check in, but were told they gave our room away.  Since we hadn't checked in before 6:00, they thought we weren't going to need it. 

Yes, there we were, bride and groom, with no room at the inn.  They apologized profusely, and immediately started calling around town to find a room for us.  Unfortunately, there was some convention or something going on, and no hotel rooms were to be found.  Finally, they found a room (notice I didn't say "hotel") for us at no charge.  We were directed about 5 minutes down the road to...

DON PONCHO'S MOTOR INN.

Kid you not.  That is where we spent our first night as husband and wife.  We had to walk through a dark, dingy bar sparsely filled with old, lonely men (silent at 1:30am on a Saturday night) to get to our room on the second floor.

Can you think of anything more romantic?

We had a flight to Miami at 8:00 or so the next morning, and without cell phones, we had no way to wake up in the morning.  (Surprisingly, Don Poncho's didn't have wake-up calls.)  We had one of our parents call us at 5:30 to wake us.

The next morning we made it to his mom's house, packed up our luggage, and headed to the airport.  It wasn't until we were checking in at the airline that I realized I had left my purse back at my mother-in-law's house.  I had no ID, and half our money was in it.  (Remember those promises we made?  We got to practice living them right away!) 

Fortunately, this occurred back in the day when people simply trusted each other.  I managed to fly to Florida, drive a rental car, go to places for folks 21 or over, and fly home without an ID.  No one batted an eye when I said I forgot it.

Nineteen years ago, on that big day, we never, ever could have imagined all that we'd do and go through.  No married couples can.  That's why marriage is so hard, and the promises so important.  Without having any idea what is going to be thrown at us, we have promised to do it together.   It is overwhelmingly reassuring to know that we both believe this with our entire beings. 

For better (Bermuda) or worse (law school) in sickness (his, kids', mine, or swine) and health (six kids!) for richer (Bermuda) for poorer (once again, law school), we're doing it together.

Now, go on over to Josie's Two Shoes to read some other takes on the theme or to link up your own!

Have a lovely day!

 

33 comments:

  1. This is fabulous (hat aside) and you're very welcome for the reminder last week so that you could spend time getting this nugget of wonderful together ;)

    Your first night sounds rough! And forgetting your purse! I guess you quickly found out about compromise and forgiveness for the sake of love.

    Happy Nineteen Years, my friend. You are an inspiration.

    (and I'm glad yours sounds like he dances as badly as mine)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do, do appreciate it. Same time next year? :)

      Oy, it was ridiculous. But, it wasn't the end of the world, and we're always up for adventures, so all was fine. Except the purse thing. Yeah, it took everything he had not to roll his eyes right out of his head and give me his, "Are you kidding me?"

      Thank you!

      He really is. We've even taken dance classes twice. He's hopeless. And Phoenix is exactly the same. :(

      Delete
  2. What a wonderful story to share: your "Big Day". We just celebrated 32 years. Everything you said is exactly correct: for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer...doing it together, always together. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations to the two of you for nineteen years of loving, sharing, caring, and weathering the storms of life! Nothing makes me happier than couples who show us that it can be done! This was a beautiful wedding, you were gorgeous, and I love how all the details remain clear in your mind... wonderful memories...well, except for Don Poncho's - that's funny! Thank you so much for sharing this definitely Big Day with us at Josie Two Shoes, it started my morning with BIG smiles!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for all those sweet sentiments. My brain isn't what it used to be, but I remember every detail of that day. (I think.) :)
      So glad I finally was able to write something to link up!

      Delete
  4. I believe that's the best wedding story I ever read.
    excellent memories and very well writtn

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations! I loved reading your story. Did you ever write a Tripadvisor.com review of Don Poncho's Motor Inn?

    Oh, and did you ever get brave and see if your wedding dress is double-boxed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! No, we didn't. :)

      I've not looked yet. What do I do with it afterwards, regardless of whether it's the right dress or not?

      Delete
  6. Oh this is lovely. And funny, naturally. Haha, Don Poncho's Motor Inn. I have to tell you... on our honeymoon we had lots of issues too! To sum it up quickly, hubby rented out a "cute cabin" in backwoods NM with a water saving shower head that spat out three measly streams of water and as a bonus, the bathroom was usually home to one or two red wasps. You never could get that cabin warm. We didn't know that to start a romantic fire in the fire place you have to open the floo (sp?)... Room filled with smoke. I got terribly sick and had to go to the ER. We ran over a huge curb and damaged our car. The list goes on. AND this has been the tradition for every anniversary since! But I must say, I got a great man. So it makes it all worth it haha! Besides, life would be boring without these stories. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!

      Oh my word. That is one memorable honeymoon, for sure! I can't believe you ever went back! A good story of a honeymoon is one thing, but going back? Craziness! :)

      You know I'm all for a life full of stories!

      Delete
  7. What kind of cradle robber was your husband when he married you?! You look so lovely (in spite of the hat). And thin. And happy. And YOUNG. Happy anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! He's only 2 months older than me. We were happy. And youngish. (A month after my college graduation.) Thin is relative. Before I bought my dress, I tried my mom's on. Couldn't get it zipped. At all.

      Thank you!

      Delete
  8. Hi, it was a loving and funny story all at the same time. You should link up with Humor Me Tuesdays too at Misplaced Alaskan. Here is the link:

    http://misplacedalaskan.com/1132/humor-me-blog-hop-4-a-month-of-funny#more-1132

    I do both hops every week. Hope I not breaking any hop rules. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Funny you should mention the Humor Me hop. I already linked up through Can I get bottle of whine. :)

      I'll run on over and read your post now.

      Delete
  9. I smiled the entire time reading this. LOVE the pictures- you look exactly like Buttercup does now- WOW!
    Happy Anniversary!!!!
    And BTW (just because you are always saying how old you are, and we keep denying you), your wedding dance song will be forever the song that reminds me of my junior high dances. LOL- maybe you're right. KIDDING:)
    C:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you.

      Hahaha and boohoohoo all at the same time. Hubby and I were discussing this comment at dinner tonight, and he said, "Well, she is the age of the kids you taught 5th grade." We did the math, and yes, you were in junior high when I got married! :) and :( but mostly :)

      Delete
  10. Happy Anniversary!! 19 years is a good long time! It's great how well you can still remember the day! And forgetting your purse was quite the adventure--man, you can't do anything without your ID these days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It is a loooong time, but I remember it because in many ways it seems like yesterday. These days, there is no way someone would be able to get on a plane without ID.

      Delete
  11. It is so good to see someone else starting this adventure at the same time as I have. Nice article and photos to go with the story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Hopefully I'll be able to get my brain to come up with good things to say with future prompts. Good luck!

      Delete
  12. That hat is spectacular! I certainly hope you kept it so you can threaten to make Buttercup wear it at her wedding!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I think I have it. I had the dress cleaned and sealed up tight 19 years ago. I'm afraid to open the box to see if my dress is actually in there. Perhaps we'll have the big reveal on the 20th anniversary.

      Delete
  13. Awww...what a delightful post this is and it was your big day indeed.

    Have a terrific day. ☺

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love this story.. You've been married almost all my life :) And I quite like the hat..I wonder what the Priest would have said if you had said I'd rather kiss a goat lol..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was far more worried about what my grandma would have said. :)

      Delete
  15. Loved looking at your wedding photos and reading about the day!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy Anniversary!!! Loved seeing your wedding photos. I'm pretty sure my dress had the same sleeves. You are a good daughter just as I am a good sister for wearing a hat when I was her maid of honour. Yet another thing we have in common. :)

    Congratulations C!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!

      Ha! While the dress I picked for the bridesmaids wasn't the best (why'd they let me pick? They all knew I wasn't good at fashion!) I can now tell my sister, "At least I didn't make you wear a hat!"

      So much in common... :)

      Delete
  17. Great tale! Lovely dress. Congrats on your anniversary. Such a wonderful witness to the world today. Next year, the big 20!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Looks like it was a beautiful day! EXCEPT, you should have taken the dare ;-) Not that I will ever get married, but I kind of hope I am dared something similar Muahahaha.

    Sounds like you definitely were getting to testing those vows to one another from the get go. That is pretty terrible about having your room given away, though. Most couples would have been furious! Did you keep your cool? No hormonal break down? No fists of rage?

    Name flub is a big no no. After 7 years, how old were you when you began dating? This isn't a trick to get you to say how ol... young you are ;-)

    Congrats on all the years together!

    Jak at The Cryton Chronicles & Dreams in the Shade of Ink

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!