At 10.30 we will cross that 'threshold' metaphorically to our silver anniversary.
The years fly. I can barely remember this time 25 yrs ago.
The future was before us, a blank slate, waiting to be filled with shared dreams and adventures.A future that was filled with all the hope and promise two young twenty-somethings with the world at their feet could ever imagine.
When I think of all we have been through together, the brilliant and not so. Life has sometimes thrown us what we least expected but we survived by the grace of God..
Hard times can rock the boat , sink the love.We have certainly had our share of hard times...so the kayaks were a great gift - staying afloat through whatever came our way. We've endured many obstacles and and been through storms of infertility, loss of our daughter and both had cancer.
It's hard to believe that 25 years have gone by since we stood together and our marriage vows were first spoken...how did we get this old ?
I had the crop the ugly concrete out. The wedding album is somewhere.
We have survived owner building a home , living in a caravan (x 3), renovations and running our own business and working together for 19 years.We also suffered the loss of our daughter born still.
The strength to stay together in the face of these trials has truly been a gift from God; our faith has held us up tremendously.I give thanks to God.
There are no secrets I can share, no recipes for love , no magic formula for why our relationship has out lasted many others. I don’t think my hubby and I are any better at this spouse/husband/wife gig than others around us.
I can't begin to know or understand what other peoples reasons were, but I’ve no doubt they were good enough reasons. Sometimes there isn't even 'reason' enough. Not for a minute do I consider or judge couples that divorce; that didn’t try hard enough to make it work, or love each other enough, or any other 'enoughs'.
For many people divorce is not the first line of defense. It can happen sometimes when one person is least expecting it. I know that even when a marriage is suffering or plain bad , deciding to end it is painful.
Love is an act of the will, and can be expressed in various degrees. It isn't always truly, madly deeply. I hope that we have a respite from the struggles and can pause a moment , to just reflect and recognize all that we do have and enjoy it simply for what it is, without thinking about what it is not.
I feel blessed to have found someone I can live with in relative happiness and who can say the same about me or perhaps we just put up with each other faults & all.
I shouldn’t ever take for granted what I have and to always put an effort into showing my long suffering dear husband that I appreciate him. Like many others I can be difficult to live with sometimes...
The beauty of the day wasn’t measured by the layers on the cake or the fabric of her dress, but by the way he looked at her when she walked down the aisle.
A Wedding ~ it reminds me of how grateful I am for my husband of 21 yrs. We were married in a warehouse with a Christian ceremony, the building stands but it is no longer a church - just a warehouse.
I don't remember our exact vows though I trust we mostly hold true to them and cherish them highly. Our future was before us (like William & Kate's today) a blank slate, waiting to be filled with shared dreams and adventures.A future that was filled with all the hope and promise two young twenty-somethings with the world at their feet could ever imagine...
Incredibly two weeks ago we saw G, a Pastor at the time, who 'talked' us through our wedding vows. G was at DH's niece's enagagement party. Plus our lovely photographer, V who is now his bride.
(Though this Pastor wasn't the Pastor to sign our official marriage certificate...and a year had me all worried we weren't married - he was stirring us up at our friend's wedding)
Every day , I am thankful for my husband's strength and tenacity.I am grateful today I can pause for a moment to just reflect and recognize all that we do have and enjoy it simply for what it is, without thinking about what it is not.
"What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility." - George Levinger
We've been apart the last 3 days and I've missed him terribly ...and his cups of tea :).
Steve - a 'VIP' truck driver & random stranger ~ who helped back up the car & caravan today after I found myself down a narrow, bendy street blocked by construction ...DEAD END - Steve's RAK {random acts of kindness} rescued me.
It wasn't supposed to be a one way street , with cars parked either side . I'd still be there otherwise waiting for hubby to come rescue me after he got home from Dubbo 6hrs later.
Babies ~ the International acclaimed movie preview screening of BABIES is on Sunday May 1, 1pm at Event Cinemas Macquarie see this post. If you are in Sydney Sunday and would like to attend I have 5 free family tickets , you can meet me there.
Today is the last day to enter the Lego City SPACE comp - click the Lego Logo 'brick' on the right.
So, what's making you smile today?
... Please add a link back to Maxibella in your post. Blog hop to visit other bloggers who are spreading a little sunshine.
Once upon a time hubby was a member of the sound & light production crew that set up the weekly services at the Church we attended. The use of duct tape (known also as gaffa tape) was popular and they had access to dozens of rolls .
On his buck's night DH's ingenius mates decided to wrap him in duct tape (probably stole it) .They bound his hands, legs (...onto bare skin) & clothes in it. They also covered him in egg & flour & ? .
Duct taping him to a tree in the local park too. After that (or before) they pushed him blindfolded, onto a train , skinning his shins when his leg slipped down between platform & train, pushed him off at another station, they tortured him with a heap of other mean acts ...including driving him around in the boot of a car. Finally , they dumped him, more ducted taped up, outside his mother's home , where he lived.
She of course was horrified ... when she ripped cut & peeled off the duct tape , she also took off a layer of skin and a large amount hair off his legs, backs of his hands etc ...seriously he was a mess. He was left with some very raw skin patches ....thankfully it wasn't the night before our wedding but a week before.
I don't think his 'mates' (mostly in their late teens & early 20's) realised what they did. He was a little shocked but never said too much about it ...
I thought it was very stupid and dangerous ... first I cried when I heard. ( It was so horrible he wouldn't tell me the entire truth least I go after them ...because I got very ANGRY).
He recovered enough to marry me the next week =) and I calmed down ;) .
PS On the subject of train stations. Yesterday I saw this at Kim's @All consuming and I think it's brilliant & fabulous so I'm sharing it too. I love this song. I was singing it all day. Here is the NZ version it's great too !
this post was inspired by Reba ... I do a wedding story carnival.
Today, we’re sharing wedding stories. You don’t have to tell a story about YOUR wedding. You can tell the story about any wedding you’ve been to, been in
You have got to go see her story - she is gorgeous
In September1988 - I was a Registered Nurse, driving home from working an evening shift (in Paediatric Ward). It was 11.30pm and I listened to radio / music. An ad I disliked came on and I switched stations. It happened to be to a radio matchmakers program I didn’t usually listen to (honest)… a young man was describing his many attributes and his ideal partner.
Hey !
I was interested but I didn’t have a pen – and I was driving. I made a mental note of his code ‘name’.
It took a few days for me so stay awake long enough (with pen and paper under my pillow) to get the address and then a few hours to write a letter to send in. My letter & details were then forwarded to him. (He was the only one I ever wrote to but my sister and her friend did use my name to chase other radio guys ggrr.)
Oh the anticipation ...
I got a shock call one Saturday and we talked for a quite a while. We made arrangements for a blind date that same night, arriving in own cars.
Then I even got into his car to travel to nearby cinemas – all the while thinking I hope he isn’t an axe murderer .. ‘cause I told no-one LOL.
We planned another ‘date’ –this time we went to his church. I was amazed at all the girls that came to talk to him – was the interest in M or checking ‘me’?
We talked on the phone a few times more and then I didn’t hear from M for 2 weeks or so. I was a registered nurse shift worker –finding time was difficult. I thought –there goes someone special.
Due to crossed communication we missed each other and left respective messages. He asked me out to a wedding –but I had a wedding to go to on12th November – too late to bring a partner – if I had dared to ask him.
Then on 15th November - we had a dinner at his place (he lived with his mum but she was out)- Chinese takeaway. Over dinner he asked me out - officially - boyfriend and girlfriend. But first - this crazy guy wanted to know how many pairs of shoes I had plus a few other things that I can’t remember.
I was doing the Bicentennial (1988) bike ride from Melbourne to Sydney
- 1st December to 15th approx., I wrote him every days and could hardly wait to get back. It was a great incentive to keep peddling the 1100kms home. I was glad to be home because absence made the heart grow fonder. Christmas came and we met each others family.
Romance blossomed and on my 23rd birthday - he asked me to marry him
“How would I like him for the rest of my life ?” Obviously. February was chosen - just before Valentine’s day.
The might before the wedding, after the rehearsal we called the radio station again –rather someone else did and put dear M on the spot – he was so flustered and got it all mixed up. We also had takeaway pizza with everyone.
I was living 30 mins away with two female friends so instead I stayed overnight at my future SIL’s –5 mins from the church. I still remember my nephew then 2 leading me to his room and showing me my dress hanging behind the door. I hardly slept at all …nervous my groom might get cold feet. I watched too much TV.
I had an early start for hairdresser and makeup . It all went quite smoothly. We girls had so many photos by V
We were married on February 10th 1990. It was a simple Christian ceremony in a warehouse – literally. We had a few live singers
from our church singing and this pastor lead our ceremony and took us through our wedding vows and said some amazing words. Though he did not officiate the legal documents another pastor present had to. A year later when he also did the our best man’s wedding and M was a best man – he joked to me – hey I forgot to tell you you need to come and see me …you aren’t legally married … he was joking but he did get my heart racing for a minute.
He is an awesome songwriter .
The trappings of the day were not that important it was the act of marrying the man I loved. We have three borrowed white cars. I wanted a morning wedding and so did M – rather than waste the day away. It was 10am wedding.
My Dad walked me down the aisle … complete with rose petals scattered by our two flower girls Jessica & Jessica . One was so nervous she forgot to scatter hers.
I was gowned in my lovely ‘hired’ wedding dress – it was still beautiful. M had a surprise for me … Akbura hats that matched his pale grey wedding tuxedo –the best men had them too. It was great fun.
Even the oil stained grey concrete outside is visible in many of our first wedding photos. It was a Christian Life Centre, then a small community type church but in a bulk warehouse unit.
Now it is multi -million dollar church in a multi million dollar building.We moved a long time ago and go to a different much smaller church now.
The week before we married M had to help renovate and rebuilt the centre worship stage as they rearranged the church in the warehouse.
Our reception was in a nearby cultural centre / venue – again M had to help set up. It was a busy week for him. He worked there at the time as building supervisor.
After the ceremony we had more photos taken in gardens nearby.
At the time of planning our honeymoon there was a pilot’s strike on. The travel agent advised M not to plan on flying. So he didn’t. M planned a very special surprise honeymoon in Queensland – he drove there.
M had hidden the car away … scared the goon groom squad and accomplices would damage the silver duco on his beloved sporty Holden Commodore. They had pushed him blindfolded onto a train (bruised leg from falling between it and hitting the platform), egged him and left him hogged tied and duct taped, on his mother’s front lawn after his buck’s night. He was still bruised, patchy and sans hair in many places.
The best man (a sound technician) set up speakers re-played the followup radio interview at the wedding reception and everyone had a great laugh (like ROFL and PMSL). Some people did not know how we met and the followup interview was funny...
Though M was sick all our wedding day … we think food poisoning from pizza. He didn’t get to enjoy the reception feast and our honeymoon night he spent vomiting and mostly in the bathroom at the first Hotel . Then he still had to drive to Coff’s Harbour the next day ,then Queensland – I couldn’t drive his manual car but we made it and he recovered quickly. On the way home M got his ‘last’ speeding fine showing me how fast his car could go … it was okay we had a great week
In last 18 years we have had the time of our life.
No this was not my invitation - but it made me laugh Sorry my scanner is out of commission so I cannot scan any pictures in *sob* what's your story ? ♥Never miss a post
Another busy week , the boys have grown and time has flown .I know some friends have had a tough time, I hope you are recovering and that things have settled guys.
Some others have had a great week with Valentine's day and receiving loads of artery clogging fat laden chocolates and flowers. I bought my chocolates on sale yesterday(at Toys r Us) aptly named Garden of Sin 'Eden' .The trouble is I keep rememberingthis.
So what made you smile ? ... head over to Lightening online and pickup her new image and join us.
My regular readers will know it was our wedding anniversary too and we kept it simple. I don't need gifts to know I am loved. The things my husband does everyday show me. He cooked a lovely dinner complete with a 'show' of how he made it all himself LOL - he knows me so well.
But ! he doesn't realise I am smarter and there is no way he could have made the garlic kiev butter filling ... the flour container and scatter of breadcrumbs in the plate on the bench to indicate he crumbed it himself (though he makes delicious chicken schnitzel)...bravo for trying I certainly smiled about that! Sweet isn't he.
Now onto something more serious
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.
This was forwarded to me today. The friend who sent this and encouraged me to email post it and spread the word. I thought it important as this week my husband's Aunt had a stroke. She was taken to the hospital very quickly they minimized any damage.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..
Please read:
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.
Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this... A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions: S * Ask the individual to SMILE. (now you know why this post is appropriate for today) T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today) R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 000 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.
A neurologist says if everyone who reads this and emails it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
Another reason I had to smile this week was visiting some special friends , chatting over a good cuppa and some Lindt chocolate balls.The boys and I had a ton of fun.
I have been on Top Momma for a month - not sure what it means for my traffic stats but their website must get plenty. So to keep us ♥ smiling ♥ ... please click.Then click S & J's picture on Top Momma.
PS- - the blogger spell check isn't working ... I thought it was something I did to my template till I read another blogger has the same problem :( . Anyone else ? Please excuse any errors.
PPS - I am so not smiling about this - the little b*ggers bloggers now know how to turn off the switches on the powerblock under my compter (work) desk ... so I am doomed ! I thought the power was out ...nope they switched off everything.
... off to eat a chocolate or 2 ...3...4 or more while I fold the clothes and sh*te load of nappies since it won't fold itself and it will make my DH smile it I do it !
Kelley @ Magnetobold had an anniversary yesterday ~ 18 years with her MPS - it got me thinking ... okay get back up on your seat now !
about numbers ...
It is precisely 18 years x 365 days = 6570 (not including leap year days)
I told my husband this figure 'six thousand five hundred and seventy '6570' and bless him - he said it didn't seem enough days !! -no mention of "you get less for murder"
but wait it didn't seem right ... so I remembered
I have add in the 4 leap year days
February 10th 1990 to today (6/2/2008) = 6570
by Sunday it will be 6574 days
Useless dribble ... of course !
Your turn - how did you meet the love of your life ...be it your first, second or seventh ?
or how long have you been hooked ... ball & chained ... in lurve ?
A Romantic gourmet dinner for two in a private dining room to value of $150 at Loxley on Bellbird Hill
A sample from their website
Perfect timing ... it is our 18th Wedding Anniversary in about 7 weeks. A wonderful Christmas present too. It has been along time since we won anything.
