35 Years Ago...

(with Bob and Vi Baker)

(with Mom-ma and Jack)

(cutting the cake)

(with the preacher man)

(with mom and dad)

Someday, the light will shine like a sun through my skin & they will say, What have you done with your life? & though there are many moments I think I will remember, in the end, I will be proud to say, 
I was one of us

{StoryPeople}

Happy Anniversary Margie and Tim!!!

We love you!

 

Happy (belated) Anniversary to Us

Friday (October 23rd) was our wedding anniversary - we spent the morning driving to the Finger Lakes to visit Grandpa J and to celebrate our 10 years of wedded bliss by going to some vineyards.


We left at 4:30am so that we would have plenty of time to enjoy the day there on Friday. The weather was beautiful (after a bit of rain on Saturday morning). The kids didn't sleep much on the drive but were pretty good. We rolled in by noon and stopped at a vineyard to celebrate our arrival.

We always make sure to watch closely for Hector Falls once we get into the area.

There is something about this beautiful area that I find very peaceful and relaxing (something besides just the wine)...I made my first trip to the Finger Lakes 16 years ago this month (and if you know that Mason will be 15 in July and can do a little math...November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, JULY!) and it has felt like a 2nd home since.

The scenery makes a perfect place for major picture taking. It was somewhat difficult to juggle both the camera AND the glass of wine.

I love this family picture!

Grandpa J was kind enough to put us up for the weekend (along with Donna and Lee), Amanda took the kids to the movies while Justin, me, Donna and Lee were escorted to the wineries by Grandpa J.

It was a perfectly perfect weekend and way to spend our anniversary - great family, great friends, great wine and incredibly beautiful views.

Happy anniversary to us!

(slide show of all the pictures)

ANOTHER Happy...

Birthday to Grandpa J!

And Happy Anniversary to Tara and Steve
(I need an updated picture of you two!!)


July sure is a busy month!!

HAPPY...

ANNIVERSARY TO MOM AND DAD!!! I believe this is 56 years!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TYLER!
LOVE YOU!

I Do, I Did and Would Do Again

Today is our anniversary! We both kinda forgot until about halfway through the morning. The romantic version of the story goes like this (bulleted for your reading and my writing ease...)

• We met at the Ground Round - remember the restaurant where it was okay to throw your peanut shells and whatever else on the ground?? What a mess!
  
• We dated for 6 years (with a few on-again-off-again rounds in there)
• We did things COMPLETELY backwards...we dated, had a baby, bought a house...THEN got married.
• We got a lot of the bad stuff out of our relationship early on - so we REALLY knew what we were getting when we said I DO.
• October has always been my favorite month of the year - I had always wanted an October wedding. Justin decided the last week of September 1999 to begin talking about getting married. My response was "it's either next month or a year from next month" - after 6 years, what's another year of waiting!?
• We planned our wedding in 3 weeks...married at the old Historic church in our town, a new local restaurant had a beautiful upstairs reception area that no one knew about yet so it was open for the evening, found a DJ, a friend took the pictures, got a video guy (that screwed up the recording on our vows so got it for free...), my grandpa Jack is a baker so he made our cake, bought some rings, called our preacher, ordered some invitations, got a marriage license...just like that - we had a wedding planned!
• On very little notice - we had all the family come in from New York, Arizona, etc. - they weren't about to miss what they had long awaited!
  
• My dress cost $63 on a clearance rack at a store someplace in the City Center...I found it on my lunch hour.
• I got sleeted on as I was coming into the church to walk down the aisle. Brrr...but did I care?!
  
• We danced and danced at the reception...and then paid the DJ more money to stay 2 hours longer...and then some of the guests ended up at Otie's (but not the bride and groom)
  
• The champagne we toasted with is the NASTIEST stuff I have ever, EVER tasted!
• I lost my voice and sounded like a 40-year chain smoker by the end of the night.
• My "honeymoon" week, I had walking pneumonia and had to sit in a career assessment class from 8am - 5pm Monday thru Friday.
• We did get to go to Hawaii 6 months later so that was worth the wait.
• For years after - Mason would always say "Remember at our wedding..."
  

• We danced to True Companion by Mark Cohn (video to the song linked)

It was as perfect a wedding as I'd ever want or wish for...and it has led to even more wonderful blessings...

NOW, I can see that some things are worth waiting for.

55 Years!

My Parents have been married for 55 years today!!! Isn't that AMAZING!! Here are a few pictures of them over the years...

A few quotes I thought they'd appreciate :)
"It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." ~Rita Rudner

Mom is a Robert Redford fan:
"Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners. Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford - but you'll take him anyway." ~Judith Viorst, Redbook, 1975

An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow.
~Author Unknown

Happy Anniversary - we love you!!