Best Gift Ever...

Today is my sixth wedding anniversary. I thought I'd share a few pages from my wedding scrapbook with you. I began the book with some of the things we shared during our 11 year "whirlwind" courtship! "It's all Tim's fault!" Well... it is! My buddy Tim from high school introduced us while we were both visiting Toledo for a wedding. Serves me right of course - technically he wouldn't have met his wife if not for me! The camping and fishing shots bring to mind our first Christmas together during which I received "The Best Gift Ever." People think I'm being sarcastic when I first say that, but I mean it completely and sincerely. The gift? A rod and reel. Trés romantic, nes pas? Yes it was. I knew that his favorite thing to do was to camp and fish every weekend during the year when it was remotely warm enough to be possible. The rod and reel meant that he wanted me to fish with him. Summer was not for MONTHS at that point. He wanted me to stick around. He was going to stick around too.

We went to concerts and traveled when ever we could. It was fun to explore new places together. Always a new adventure. Just the two of us. And so then we eloped - ran off to Las Vegas to get married. Just the two of us. John arranged for the ceremony. I had few requirements of him: we MUST get out of the car and Elvis may NOT officiate the ceremony. We had a lovely service in a beautiful chapel. I had all the particulars necessary...

Something old: mom's handkerchief that she and my sisters all carried; Something new: My beautiful new dress; Something borrowed: my friend Linda's lovely bracelet; Something blue: a pale blue ribbon held inside my dress, over my heart, by my Chi Omega pin; and a sixpence for my shoe (dated 1965 my birth year). Did I mention that I caught the bouquet the night we met? Watch out for that! I saved it all those years, altered it slightly with flowers matching my colors and carried it the day we got married. My sisters surprised us with champagne, fruit and cheese, chocolate covered strawberries, and a cake sent to our room. My sister Deb would advise you to plan ahead for this when possible, as finding a white cake with white icing (the only appropriate wedding cake in our family!) in Vegas by phone is challenging!

Thanks for walking down memory lane with me!