love is a many splintered thing

This day, 42 years ago, it happened.  I began a journey down an unknown road.  I was nervous, excited, scared to death, and just young and stupid enough to take the plunge with blind faith in the person I chose to spend the rest of my life with.

I chose well.  It's been a wonderful life.  Ups, downs, and in betweens.  Laughter, tears, anger, joy, all the emotions a human being is capable of.  Three children, and four grandchildren.  What a legacy!

Last night we were sitting in the hot tub and right before I stepped over into the water, I grabbed my iPhone and took a photo of Stevie Wonder.  Instead of rolling his eyes, he graciously smiled for me.  As we sat there enjoying our drinks and talking, we reminisced a bit about the times past.  And for some reason my mum came up as the focal point.  I started it:

me: this is the anniversary of the last date we had as single people.
him: no, we didn't go out the night before we got married.  Your mom wouldn't let us.  She came over to the apartment and dumped out all our booze, because she didn't want me getting drunk the night before I had to drive to Reno.
me: she did that?  I didn't know she did that.  (I had never heard that part of the story.)
him: yep, she did.  You know, your mom and I get along great (he was already on his second Canadian Club and Coke, hence the mellowness).
me: that's because you live 2,000 miles from her.  If you had lived in the same town, she'd probably hate you. (I had just begun to sip my wine, hence the sarcasm.)  I remember a couple nights before we got married, and I figured there was no need for a curfew since I would be moving out in a couple days.  Mum met me at the door when I got in late from our date.  She got right in my face.  And told me I wasn't married yet, and as long as I lived under her roof, I'd abide by her rules.  (This was at about 1:30AM.)
him: (laughing)
me: yep, and I remember the pink champagne I just HAD to have for our wedding night.
him: yep.  You know, that stuff was $20 a bottle and in 1970, that wasn't cheap shit. (He drank the whole bottle and I didn't know until years later that he was up vomiting the rest of the night, in between bouts of romance.  Frankly, I don't know how he survived that much sex and puking.)
me: yep I hated that stuff.  One sip and I was done.  And I remember when we got back to the apartment, we had a wedding cake.  No one was there, but we had a cake on the table waiting for us.
him: yep and no booze.
me: yep and I climbed into bed that night and discovered mum had short sheeted the bed.  (Short sheeting lesson here.)
him: (laughing)
me: you know, it's no wonder I have a weird sense of humor.  I get it from mum.
him: (still laughing)

And I bet you thought this post was going to be all sentimental and smarmy, huh?

I hate smarm, but oh...ok...here's some mushy music by the Four Aces to finish up with...

PS...Thanks for a good 42 years Stevie Wonder, and here's to forty two more.

...life is good. ~cath
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