January 14th...

January 14, 1990 This guy I had been friends with for a very long time who had dated several of my girlfriends and had actually only stopped dating my oldest friend weeks before, asked me to "go with him". I was a sophomore in high school. He was a Freshman. That morning at Sunday school I had walked around the corner and caught him kissing yet another girlfriend of mine...i was hesitant, yet naive and trusting and I couldn't resist his charms. Later that night after youth group, i had my first kiss...I almost threw up.

January 14, 1993I was a freshman in College. That guy, he was a senior in high school. We'd dated 3 years. Many seemed surprised that we'd made it so long. We wrote lots of notes, talked for long periods on the phone, and spent most free time together. We also shared most of the same friends and the same amazing youth group. We had no doubt we were in it for the long haul. We went to dinner at a very nice restaurant but opted for deep dish pizza to celebrate our third anniversary. Sometime during dinner that night He opened a ring box and slid it across the table. I just smiled. Our waitress (a girl we went to school with) shrieked and seems more excited than we were.

Truth be told...only a few close friends know this truth...Mike had proposed to me one day in October. I was home sick from school. He rode his bike over after school...this was forbidden, but we're married now, so does it matter? I was in bed, looking and feeling like death. He told me he wanted to be with me forever. This is real love. I said yes then.

The official engagement with ring and public announcement was the night over pizza.

January 14, 1995Show tunes from Phantom of the Opera, Pippin, and Les Mis drifted from the piano welcoming people into the church. My baby brother lit the family candle to this song ...



Our brothers Ryan and Jeff escorted our Moms in to a slightly more up tempo version of this song...



My dad held my arm and walked me down the isle to Canon in D he cried. I cried. After the ceremony he stood up to kiss me on my way back down the isle...I really wasn't sure what he was doing. I miss him.

During the ceremony there were three songs. One was written by a good friend of ours who happened to be both of our gifted teacher growing up as well as the church choir director and the high school theater director. We felt honored that he he not only let us use his song but sang it for out wedding.

There were the other songs, sang by close friends, although I couldn't find a great version by Geoff Moore and Steven Curtis Chapman, here is one of my favorites...



We left the church to a loud and beautiful burst of music that went something like this...



One of my bridesmaid's families owned a florist. She had been saving rose petals for weeks. We packed cones with them before the wedding and they filled the air as we made our way through the rainy, warm, January night.

The reception was filled with dancing and fun. Young children drinking from the campaign fountain...not knowing there was anything "grown up" up in there. There was a minor punch on wedding dress moment, and believe it or not, my little brother who had been drinking from the for mentioned punch bowl was actually to blame, not me! We danced and laughed and had a wonderful night.

We started the night and ended it to a song that was and still is "ours". Pick that song careful girls, it can carry you through all sorts of things! Big hair and all can't ruin that!

For some reason this song has had it's embedding disabled..go figure!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDgkg7lbMgg&feature=related

Price Of Love
Bad English

Girl, sometimes it seems to me
That I don't say the things I should, to you, I act like I'm no good
You wait for me patiently
This house is not a home without you, it takes two hearts to share

Your eyes will always see through me, and bring me to my knees
And I will always turn to you, you're everything I need

And thru the good and bad times, you have always been there
We hold each other close, you tell me it's alright
The nights we fight about it, never dream of givin' up
That's the price of love

Look, sometimes it makes us cry
Forgive me when I get it wrong, sometimes it's hard to be that strong
And oh, I would do anything
For you I'd turn the stars around, I'd find a way somehow

This time, you see I built a bridge to you again
Love shines, we'll sweep away the past
We're more than lovers, more than friends

And thru the good and bad times, you have always been there
We hold each other tight, you tell me it's alright
The nights we fight about it, never think of givin' up
That's the price of love

Your eyes will always see through me, and bring me to my knees
And I will always turn to you, you're everything I need

And thru the good and bad times, you have always been there
We hold each other close, you tell me it's alright
And sometimes I can't give enough, that's the price of love

That's the price of love, that's the price of love
That's the price of love...


January 14, 2009 19 years since that first kiss, 16 since the fancy pizza dinner, and 14 since we shared all that music with those we love. Lily says it's our "Golden" aniversay since it's 14th on the 14th. Whatever it is, all the music still fits and it still makes me a cry. So many years. So many people. I still wouldn't change a thing. I love you...