Thirty-Nine and Counting

 Thirty-nine years. 

That's the age of our marriage. 

Sure sounds like a long time. 

It is.

In this age of drive-by marriages followed by drive-by divorces, our marriage has aged well. 

The Husband and the marriage are keepers. 

Even today, when I hear the words to our song, 

"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," by The Spinners, 

I still smile and say yes. 

I know it's corny, but I can't help myself!

Here's our secret to a marriage with longevity: 

Lots of forgiveness,
lots of falling in love again,

and lots of clinging to the Lord when it all seems to be going downhill! 

Oh, all that, and the ability to laugh at oneself!

Happy Anniversary, Honey. 

I am pretty sure I would marry you again today.

Nope, make that very sure.

Here's a glimpse of the way we were way back when

 

 Who knew what the future would hold?
The joys, the sorrows, the laughter, the tears.
The good times, and the hard times.
Together then.
Together now.
I am one blessed woman.

I have found the one whom my soul loves...
                                                                    Song of Solomon 3:4

Family Celebration: The Wedding!

    After a wet, cold and rainy week, the day of the wedding finally arrived. We awakened to clear blue skies with nary a cloud in sight. It was as though the Lord crowned the day with absolute splendor just for the couple, Morgan and Harper. It was a bit nippy, to be sure, after the sun went down but that only helped things heat up on the dance floor.

   Here's the happy couple...

Need a ride anyone?

These wreaths on the doors of the church smelled heavenly!

It's a good idea to dispense programs and have guests sign the guestbook outside the church

My sweet sister, the Mother of the Groom.
I love that when she laughs or grins it appears that her eyes
are closed. It's a family trait we share.

Pew markers were kept sweet and simple

Little One and her momma waiting for the wedding to begin

Altar flowers

 The gorgeous lake that was the backdrop for the reception

White lanterns hung from many of the trees

Tulip and flowering branch arrangement for the serving tables. There were four serving
tables, which helped prevent long lines when the meal was served.
The food included shrimp and grits, assorted breads,
 pork tenderloin, roasted vegetables, salad, and a fingerling rosemary potato bar.
When guests arrived, they were greeted with the couple's special drink: a Roehm-a-Rita!

This is one of three different table arrangements. The food and flowers were
courtesy of Celestine's Special Occasions of South Walton. 

Lovely pink peonies cascaded down the cake (by Tanis of Panama City),
but my favorite is the touch of whimsy provided by the
flower filled mercury vases hanging in the tree.

Yes, the groom graduated from Auburn, but I think his first words
were "Go Gators." No one was surprised to see this camo
Gator hat front and center on his cake.

My all-time favorite appetizer EVER, created just for this wedding:
A fried green tomato topped with mac-n-cheese. Garnished with
rosemary and tomato/onion relish. Can we say DIVINE?!

The two lovely Annies.

Family Celebration: The Rehearsal Dinner

   The Middle Sister is always prepared. She thinks ahead, plans ahead, and accomplishes more in a month than I can get done in a year. She is a model of efficiency. It's a good thing, because in addition to totally taking the house next door to her down to the studs and building it back in the last six months, this past weekend she and her husband hosted both the rehearsal dinner (at their farm) and the wedding reception (at their home). If she even broke a sweat no one around her knew it. She was as cool as a cucumber and seemed to enjoy the festivities as much as anyone else. And boy, do she and her husband know how to throw down a party!
   It basically rained all day Friday so the plans for an country supper under the stars had to be scrapped. No worries. My sister and her husband just moved everything under their football field sized roping pen adjacent to their barn. How do you make something as huge and cavernous as a roping pen seem personal? You take your lesson from my sister. She moved in some tractors, an old farm truck, lots of rolled bales of hay and used them to divide up the space. No one even realized that it was a back-up plan. It was a wonderful evening: intimate and casual and great fun.

This giant "R"  hay bale welcomed guests as they drove onto the farm.

 Green tablecloths, glowing lanterns, buckets of tiny green apples,
and wildflowers in vases provided a nice rustic touch.

 I love the pen and ink rendering of the barn on the rehearsal dinner invitation.

The welcome table featured the Bride's little ballet shoes and the Groom's childhood cowboy boots...a sweet and sentimental touch!

 The old farm truck is doing double-duty here

Groomsmen gifts all lined up in a row!

Country cooking never tasted so good!

A bevy of homemade cakes rounded out the meal,
six-layers of goodness, chocolate, coconut and red velvet! Yum!

Hands down, one of the best things that happens at a wedding, is the reunion with loved ones. 

Here are the "Sistas."