Anniversary 42

Since the pandemic put the kibosh on travel, our anniversaries have been extremely low key.  In the Before Time, we at least took a weekend away and the five-year anniversaries were usually a little more special-the train from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon, a night at East Brother Light in San Rafael Bay.  We’d been planning our dream trip to Paris and Normandy for our 40^th in 2020.  You know that ended up a non-starter…

Keeping it low key again this year, we’re off to Simi, CA, to take in the Secrets of WWII exhibit at the Reagan Library and spend a couple of nights in a favorite hotel.  With gas prices over $6 and Covid once again on the rise, we plan to stay close to the hotel, walking when we can, and keep as much to ourselves as possible while wearing masks at the Library.  But despite those travel drawbacks, we’ll have a good time learnin’ and relaxin’.

I thought I’d share some of our wedding pictures on the blog today, even though it’s a day early.  It was a bittersweet journey through the photo’s this year, since we won’t be getting an anniversary card from The Mom.  Also missing my grandparents, especially my grandfather, who walked me down the aisle.

SO!

42 YEARS!

Enjoy these photos from our Big Day.

We found this little chapel in Pico Rivera, close to where we lived at the time.  It’s now the Rivera First Baptist Church.  Unfortunately, the palm trees that gave the New England looking chapel its California vibe are gone now.

Me and The Mom.  She and some of her friends worked hard on the food for our reception.  Being broke 20 somethings, we didn’t have a lot of money, so they made all the food, including turkey salad from a turkey The Husband (I guess he would have been The Boyfriend at the time) won at Christmas and she’d kept in her freezer.

My grandparents admiring our rings.  I noticed my grandfather seemed nervous as he walked me down the aisle.  A typical Italian male of his generation, he rarely revealed his emotions but he told me later he was shaking because he was so happy to be a part of my wedding.

Me and my bridesmaids: my BFF, Zan, her sister, Leeann and Gay.  Friends since elementary school and still in my life today!  We’ve all lost our moms in the last four years and I can’t tell you how invaluable they were, and continue to be, for me as I grieve.

Have I mentioned we were the shortest ones in our wedding party?!

This is the least weird of our posed pictures.  Yes, we have the 1980’s fad photos of darkened silhouettes of one of us, with the color photo of the other gazing out from the center of our heads…  No, you really do not want to see them…

Please take note of my nails.  They are my natural nails, not fake.  I lived in fear for the three months leading up to the wedding that I would break one.  I still keep my nails long but not quite as long as this.

The Mom and my grandmother relaxing at the reception.  My silk bouquet is on the chair to the left.  Broke 20 somethings, remember?  I made my bouquet, the bridesmaid’s long stems that they carried and a small bouquet for me to throw.

I just recently found this picture, that includes Zan’s cousin, Robin.  Looks like they’re ready for a rest 😊

Yes, The Husband wore a cape.  There were also fencing foils involved.  When my late father-in-law found out, he asked me what kind of costume I’d be wearing…  This is what happens when you marry an actor! 

A note about our original wedding album.  It fell apart.  The marriage didn’t. 

The Dorian Gray of wedding albums!