Warning: Extreme Sappiness Ahead

[willowisp]

Six years ago at this time (13:00 eastern, 11:00 mountain time), it was a gorgeous sunny day in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It had been a bit chilly that morning, but now it was at worst nippy. Most leaves were new spring green, although some were already taking on the summer mature tinge. Two weeks ago I had despaired of there being any leaves at all, but in NC leaf season literally happens overnight. It was a Saturday and also the anniversary of Andy's paternal Grandmother and the Grandpa whom I never met.

A specially burned CD began playing Enya's "Book of Days", the English version, and some oddly-dressed people (For the record, Vern did not wear a suit.) headed down an aisle created by a bunch of chairs in a grassy courtyard. The guys all had tuxes with gray-blue vests; Pamela and Sherry wore royal blue floor-length gowns, and Erin's was the same style but in forest green. Grandpa, who was still healthy, escorted me (wearing a huge white thing) down the aisle. The rest can best be described by our wedding re-enactment bears.

A lot has happened since then. Andy became a Master and then a Doctor. Our oldest daughter, Thena, died. We lost Cat's paternal and maternal grandfathers and Andy's maternal Granddad. Pamela and Dave got together and bought a house. We adopted our two younger daughters, Gail and Heidi. We moved to Albuquerque, wherein Andy now works at Sandia and I volunteer at Kitty City, a cage-free no-kill shelter. In a little less than a month, at least in theory, we will be closing on a house.

As with all marriages, ours has had some rocky points and although we've never fought, we have argued. As with perhaps not so many marriages, it has had truly wonderful times as well. We're both actively working through certain issues in hopes of smoothing out the bumps further. We did go into this, however, knowing that "happily ever after" is not a viable aspect of real life, and thus our expectations have been met rather than shattered. I still love him more than anything, and if we were brought back to this day six years ago and asked if we still wanted to go through with it, I'd say yes in a heartbeat.

Thank you to all of the friends and family who witnessed this and have held us to it. Thank you also to those friends and family members whom we have since met and who are also supportive and caring. Sure, we could both have gotten this far if, from nothing else, sheer stubbornness, but with all of you around we have been able to learn and grow in ways which would not have been possible without you.

Comments

Congrats!!!

[clubjuggler.livejournal.com]

Happy Anniversary! You're now closer to 10 years than you are being newlyweds. :-) Hard to believe how fast time passes (Janell and I are still kind of in awe that we're coming up to our 9th!).

[echoweaver.livejournal.com]

No wedding pictures of the two of you! I'd love to see some.

Congratulations at making it another year. Here's my hope for many more.

[grifyn.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

I love the wedding re-enactment bears!

I also think you went into marriage with exactly the right idea. :)

[goldenlily.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! :)

Question - would you still wear the huge white thing if you had to do it over though? :)

[willowisp.livejournal.com]

Nope, even though it would fit me better now. I would still wear a white thing, but instead of settling for whatever a person as fat as I was could find (it was literally the only one in that size at Bridal Mart, which is huge), I would either look around at web sites or buy a pattern and make my own. Probably the former, since I wouldn't trust my sewing to hold up and would end up in the hall of wedding infamy.

[echoweaver.livejournal.com]

If I had it to do over again, I'd hire a seamstress. Not being a tiny lass myself, I had a similar problem, but I also hated most of the dresses I could find. I did end up with one I liked, but the agony I went through to find it is not worth repeating. When you're talking about wedding dress prices, seamstress rates get surprisingly affordable.

Oh, and David's Bridal started a line of dresses designed for large sizes right after my wedding.

Not that this is remotely useful now :).

[turnberryknkn.livejournal.com]

For the record, Vern did not wear a suit.

(smile) He also did not wear my tie. :-)

It was --and remains-- one of the great honors of my life to have been one of the company of friends you invited to join Andy and you on that special day.

May the years ahead be better yet than the years before. :-)

[raira.livejournal.com]

Congratulations to both of you!

Wow, do you realise you two had just got married when I met you? It doesn't seem like so long ago.

Love the pictures, and the bears are too cute for words!

HUG