In typical family fashion we had two days to celebrate back to back. One week ago we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary the day after Tristan’s birthday. Seventeen years… it is hard to believe that it could have possibly been that long ago. I can also honestly tell you that it hasn’t been long enough. If you remember and are doing the math you will be able to figure out, as our children will, that we met on March 11th which is just shy of five months prior to our marriage. But when it’s right, it’s right! And we knew it was right. Knowing what I know now I think I will probably encourage our children to take a little bit longer with things. A friend of ours has a “6+6” rule. If the children want their blessing then they should know each other for 6 months (at least) and have (at least) a 6 month engagement. Now while this may have prevented some of those first year issues for us, had we been given (and followed) such advice, I also realize that it would have caused a new set of issues for us. At any rate, it all worked out for the best and here we are!
(Are you enjoying my pictures of pictures… this was long before digital).
Seventeen years ago Rick and I were married in the LDS Toronto Ontario Temple on a beautifully breezy August day. I am not Canadian (I’m always asked) but this was my closest temple and the one I was assigned to at the time. Today there are others that are closer and I wish I could get back to our temple without a passport. This one is special to me because I attended its open house with friends in the summer of 1990 when it was newly built and attended its dedication with my family & friends soon after. It is beautiful there. I always knew that this was the only place I ever wanted to be married. I could not be talked out of that ever by anyone and I wouldn’t marry anyone who could not take me there. There was never any question in my mind about it. I was a lucky girl.
So I felt like we should do something really special for our anniversary this year. We’d already discussed gifts. We’d always given gifts to each other that had something to do with the traditional anniversary gift list. But if you make it past year 15 you’re on your own except for every 5 to 10 years. I thought about all the ways to go and spend time and places we would like to see but the reality of money and five kids at home kept my feet grounded. Then a couple of months ago I had a thought. We might be able to go “out of town” without the kids after all. And we did have THE BEST day.
We were married on Tuesday August 9th, 1994. What better way to spend Tuesday August 9th, 2011 than to drive 90 miles to our state capital and attend a temple session there in the Columbus Temple. We’d be an hour and a half away from the kids, two of whom are now able to hold the fort down for a few hours, we’d have uninterrupted time together on the drive there and back, we could stop at some place unusual for a special meal on the way home, we’d be dressed up and we hadn’t been to the temple together in over nine years. It seemed perfect and Rick was excited about this idea. So we left first thing in the morning, dressed and packed up with instructions for our oldest daughter. We were on our way. Unlike our wedding day, there was no one to take our picture outside of the temple this time so I just took a couple of shots of the building itself.
As we walked around the grounds in the early afternoon before leaving we agreed that this had been the perfect anniversary for us. Sure, the storehouse in Columbus had closed early so we couldn’t purchase the dried beans in bulk which we’d hoped to get and our anniversary gift we’d gotten in on together was a food mill attachment for the Kitchen Aid to replace our old hand cranked food mill which has “milled” so many times we’ve almost milled the post in half and we HAD to be home by 5 to fix our kids dinner and drive them to Tuesday night activities. But spending our day together was THE BEST! And it was wonderful to be in the temple again with my husband where I could remember our own special day long ago now with so much more clarity.
Back at home by evening we decided to get one of our kids to take a picture of us together, at least in front of the house. We tried two different children and probably 20 shots but these are the only pictures where we both have heads and feet! Seventeen years later our lives and our hearts are full. We’ve grown together and learned so much. Life isn’t easy for us but it’s not bad and it’s great to work through it with your best friend. Here’s to the next 17 years…
Rob and I met and married fast, too. He was willing to wait, but I wasn't! Get on with life already! :) And, like you said, it's worked out. I wouldn't have done it any different, looking back, but it would sure alarm me if my kids did it that way!
ReplyDeleteLove this whole thing Heather! Congratulations.
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