26 Years --A Blink or a Lifetime?

As promised, here is my [now] famous Anniversary post. Might I say it really fits with my old THANKFUL THURSDAY theme AND the September to Remember theme? (That ought to be worth at least a point or two!)

So much for using my day off to sleep in! Even after waking up at 5:45 am when Bex's alarm 'started' going off (argghhhh!) and getting up with Mr. Fix-It and Bex...I did manage to get a nap in this morning! I've also finished two loads of laundry, washed the dishes from the last week (Don't want to freak out all you neat-niks, I'm just kidding!), cleaned my bathroom, changed the sheets, etc. I even fixed lunch for Mr. Fix-It when he stopped by for some lunch. So, even after napping this morning after breakfast (I refer you to one of my favorite indulgences-- 'I' from this post), I HAVE been productive!

Today at 4:19 pm, Mr. Fix-It and I will have been married for 26 years. Sometimes it seems like we just blinked and hit 26 -- sometimes it seems like its been a lifetime. I've been married more than 1/2 my life...I've been married longer than I was single! Of course, there are THOSE days. But its been worth it.

To those of you who want to know what I think is the secret to a long marriage (though there are many longer than ours...) my answer is this: DECIDE you'll never quit. Yes, just like love --it IS a decision. Sometimes that decision can be really, really hard to keep. Mr. Fix-It attributes our long marriage to the fact that no matter how mad he makes me, I just won't leave! You can bet on that, buddy! If anybody 'leaves' it won't be ME! But remember...there are THOSE days!

So today I promised pictures. Pictures you will get! Remember...these are from 1982. Weddings were a lot different then. At our reception we just had punch, nuts, mints and cake --that was the thing in those olden days. Today you have to feed everybody a 20-course dinner feast...back then...not so much. Actually, I think everybody was pretty happy to just snack and get out of there. There was an FSU football game on television that night--those were the glory days of FSU football. Our wedding date had to be chosen with the FSU schedule in mind. Sad, ain't it?

Here's a picture of me and my nephew, Charlie. He's now a big, bad, bald ex-Marine who lives in S. Florida.

He was a wonderful ring-bearer. VERY SERIOUS about the job! During the ceremony, when his little sister tripped on the hem of her dress trying to walk up the steps, he stepped out of the line of men, walked over and put his hand out to help her...such a gentleman! Too bad video-camera's weren't quite the 'IN' thing back then.

By the way, notice the bee-u-tee-ful pillow. I made that with leftover satin from my wedding dress. My aunt made my dress and veil for me.


This is me putting a rose on the front pew for my Mom. She was watching from Heaven. She never got the opportunity to help plan her only daughter's wedding. [sniff, sniff] TREASURE YOUR MOTHER, GIRLS!









See! I was a control-freak even back then! I promise I didn't tell the photographer to do this...but I kind of liked the idea of running things from above. Of course, I've learned a lot in the last 26 years...it's better to just let God handle things from above...EVERYTHING works better that way!







Here is pretty much my whole 'immediate' family at the time--with the exception of Mandy and Beau who were in the nursery. I'll show you a picture of them later.

Back row from left to right: brother Randy, brother Alan, Mr. Fix-It and ME (of course!), step-mother Bobbie, my Daddy, (now ex-) SIL Barbara and brother Chuck. The two little ones are Charlie and Christy--Chuck and Barbara's kids.



Mr. Fix-It's family. L-R: BIL Rick, sister Carla, sister Marla, me and Mr. Fix-It, step-mother Louise and Dad.












This was taken at our reception. Bobbie holding 3-week old, Beau and Daddy holding 2-yr old, Mandy.










Me and Mr. Fix-It with his beloved bull-dog, Major. Major went on our first date with us and most of them, thereafter. I had to adopt him when we married.

Notice he has his own tux. I made it as a surprise for Mr. Fix-It. Just so you know...I had NOT intended for him to be brought into the church. But the men who 'dressed' him thought it was necessary...so we went with it and had his picture made. I didn't realize at the time that his bow tie was droopy...the 'men' didn't button it correctly or it would NOT have drooped! Since it was black, you can't tell that it covered his back like a coat...maybe I should have made it with sleeves? Major was so patient as I had to try it on him over and over and over while I was crocheting it. I think the pattern I started out with was designed with a teacup poodle in mind!



Here's the happy couple ready to leave the church. We got all gussied up to leave, then went to Mr. Fix-It's apartment and had to change again. Then we spent an hour or two cleaning the apartment (since we didn't want to pay another month's rent!). Then, we headed out in a friend's truck with a motorcycle in the back, pulling a camper trailer--off on our honeymoon to S. Florida.

About a month prior to our wedding, we had closed on the Lonesome Pine property. We spent the second week of our honeymoon camping on our property. Little did we know that it would be more than 5 years before we were actually able to live on it.

So there you have it...the beginning of the Lonesome Pine story.


Stay tuned for more riveting posts!