Happy Anniversary!
6 years ago today, I became a wife and a step-mother. The whole day was amazing.
I didn’t sleep the night before. Everything was pretty much done by me with some help from my mother in law, my friend K and others. We made flowers, the centerpieces, the boutonnieres and the favors. We were up until 3a.m. the morning of my wedding putting hershey kisses in the bags.
I got my hair done and in true fashion of procrastination, I went into Tar-get to pick up a necklace and earrings to match my dress.
As the hour approached, I thought I would throw up. I stood outside the sanctuary with my dad a complete mess. I think I even said, “I feel like I’m going to throw up.” We walked down the hall, turned the corner, the doors opened and that was it. I was on my way to be a wife.
I don’t remember looking at anyone but him. We locked eyes and the first thing he said to me was, “Wow.” I will never forget that.
I cried during the vows, put his ring on the wrong hand and practically ran out of the chapel with him when our pastor (who we found out later was conducting his VERY FIRST wedding) pronounced us husband and wife.
We had our reception, met family, hugged loved ones and anticipated our first night together as husband and wife.
Our marriage was hard work. Hard. At times I didn’t know if we’d make it however before he died I felt as if we were the luckiest people in the world for having survived some brutal times. We spent our fifth anniversary in Disneyland and planned to spend our sixth in New York city. Oh how I loved our new tradition of traveling every year.
This anniversary, I am no longer a wife and I pray and fight daily to maintain a relationship with my beautiful Girly. Both identities that, if I am honest, I feel were stolen from me by death. However, despite that, I feel it is appropriate to celebrate the life I had with my beloved husband and I will do just that. I plan to travel with one of my besties and my son to the place where we spent our fifth anniversary. Disneyland. While I am there to participate in a race, I plan to make it a tribute to the man who loved me the most on this planet. The man who knew every secret I have and the one who adored me in spite of them.
Happy Anniversary Husband.
