Today is our 35^th anniversary!  It is hard to believe that we have been married so long, then again, it seems just like yesterday.  I have been blessed to have such a wonderful husband for all these years.  He has always been so thoughtful and caring – so different from the frogs I kissed before I met him! 

I think back about that day – what a day!   Joseph had been laid off in November before our wedding in February.  He had been working contract work out of town for 12 weeks before the wedding, so I had to make all the arrangements.  I found the florist, the photographer, the soloist, the pianist, the preacher, and the cake maker!  And I planned the honeymoon.  We had so little money that I had to be very frugal with every expense!  The church didn’t charge us anything for the chapel since we were members.  The preacher was free, but we paid him $50.  The pianist was $30, the soloist was $50 and the church decorations, the bridal flowers, boutonnieres and corsages, the wedding cakes and finger food for the reception was a total of $270!  My wedding dress came from JC Penney mail order for $102.12 and I borrowed the hat. Our wedding bands were $192.40 for both!  The photographer was $291.45 for engagements sitting, wedding and reception.  He was crappy- many of the photos were out of focus – especially the main ones of US.  But it took!  We are still here.

We were going to Helen GA and then to Orlando FL on our honeymoon (we had $300 left on our Mastercard.)  I wondered where he was that morning.  I looked out the window and he was in my driveway changing the brake pads on my car!  Not only that, but the rotors needed turning, so off he went to the shop to get that done!  Three hours before the wedding!  His hands were greasy and gross and, needless to say, it didn’t come off before the ceremony! 

We (or rather, I) hadn’t done a great job planning logistics.  I hadn’t made arrangements to get to the church.  The night before, Joseph made me cry when I asked, “How am I going to get to the church?”  He replied, “Get a cab!”  How true that may have been!  His step-father volunteered to drive me!  But, I got there so late, the photographer didn’t have time to take pre-wedding pictures!  I guess I didn’t think of that in my timetable – one that I had given to everyone to make sure everything happened on time!  Oops! 

I had a little boom box.  This was before the video camera in every phone era.  Joseph was to put it on the dais so that the ceremony could be recorded.  A few weeks later, he was still working in Huntsville.  One Sunday, I made fried chicken and potato salad to take to him so we could be together a little while that day.  I decided to play the cassette on the way.  The first thing I hear is,” SHOOT ME, JUST SHOOT ME!”  I was broken hearted.  He had screamed that about 20 minutes before the ceremony!  I thought he hadn’t wanted to marry me!  I was crying when I got to Huntsville.  He was so upset, then I explained.  He cracked up laughing.  He said he was just so nervous that he could hardly speak – and you could hear that in our vows!  I got over it and he seems to have stuck it out a long time if he regretted it!

After the ceremony, we were going to our new house for the reception.  His folks were big drinkers and I didn’t think the Baptist Church Social Hall would look too kindly on his Mom bringing in the whole trunkful of booze she had brought from KY!   We walked out of the church, and everyone was gone!  We almost had to call that Cab!  His Mom and step-Dad hadn’t seen us in the procession of cars, so they turned around and picked us up as we were trying to hail someone from in front of the church!

We made it home and enjoyed our friends and family, especially the mother of my former fiancé.  I had broken off the engagement when I met Joseph.  She brought pictures of her son and his new wife who had married on the wedding day we had planned.  What a delight ☹

We left home and left the boys in the care of my dear friend Nancy.  I had paid her $100 to look after them for a week!  Can you believe that?  I had made casseroles galore and had the freezer full of meals for them, but it was still so thoughtful of her to care for them at that price!

We made it all the way from Southside (near Gadsden) to Anniston.  We were both emotionally and physically exhausted.  We ate supper at Shoney’s and crashed at a nearby Days Inn.  Our honeymoon really started the next day!  We went to a cabin in the woods near Helen GA.  It was beautiful.  It had a fireplace and was an A frame.  That evening, Joseph wanted to grill some hamburgers so he had to go to town to get some charcoal.  On the way back, a deer ran into him!  Really!  It stove in the side of the driver’s door and he couldn’t get the door open.  He had to crawl over the gearshift.  In the process, he chipped his glasses and he is blind as a bat without them.  Thankfully, he was able to still wear them after straightening them up a little.   I don’t remember the hamburgers, all I remember is his words, “Baby, I’ve done a bad thing!”  Then he told me what had happened and I was just so happy he had not been hurt!  We spent the next day in the State Farm Office in Helen.  A guy in the insurance shop took a tool and pried the door open and straightened out the edge so that we could get in and out of the driver’s side.  What a honeymoon.   

Since we could only afford 3 days in Helen GA, we took off for Orlando. Joseph’s favorite step-father – the one he calls Dad, lived there.  He was remarried and he owned a German Restaurant.  We got there and they put us up on bunk beds with huge animal horns all over the wall.  Dad had lived in South Africa for several years and had been a big game hunter while there.  We have those horns in Joseph’s office now.  What a honeymoon.

We went to EPCOT for one day.  We didn’t have the money for more than that, and thank goodness, it wasn’t nearly as expensive as it is now!  We bought a cute little China Tea Set with golden dragons on it.  We have never used it, but it still holds a place of honor in my curio cabinet.

Dad took us to a western cowboy show on Saturday night and Sunday morning, he took us to the most fabulous brunch I have ever been to – before or since.  Then, we headed home – for the 12 hour trip.  We had barely enough gas money and we ate hotdogs at a gas station on the way for supper.  When we got home, we deposited all the wedding gift checks and whew! 

I look back on those days and where we are now and we have been truly blessed.  We have traveled beyond my wildest expectations, both in the states and abroad.  I could not have made this journey with a better partner!  Happy Anniversary, my love!