So, do you recall that tree house I mentioned just a minute ago or so, with the tear starry eyed 17 year old?
Here’s the fun story, if you missed out.
Well, 7 years later, we found each other…this hottie and I.
And going on 30 years, from 17, it was time to fill in that Junior Prom gap, at least in my heart, I intentionally closed the gap and filled it with something far better. But I imagine as Our Dearest Heavenly Father heard my tree house mini tragic prayer, He had a twinkle in His eye, and His own version of the game Bigger and Better was a cook’n.
Whose idea was this date?
Mine, of course.
My hubby planned the day date, a hike. His idea of weather perfection is overcast and a cooling drizzle. I was in awe of the bright green spring leaves glowing iridescent in the rainy canyon, and it felt like we were in Scotland, rather than Utah.
My version of the perfect hiking weather, does not include rain. But I have learned to lean into his ideals and enjoy them greatly too. With the misty spring and slippy step, we talked into the silence of just us, held hands, and relaxed. “I am so happy to be married to you!” he sighed. I must admit, that when he says this, I think of all my ‘warts’ and think, “Can he really mean that?”
“I am so happy to be married to you too!”
I love how we stopped for a picture by a dead tree.
My hubby had recently been eying shrimp on sale. He had kept telling me about it, and so I had said, it looks like you had better get that. Well, yay! We got our lower paycheck, but ALREADY had that shrimp. And Riley cooked it up to be ‘devoooon!’ (Inga, your word for divine! :P) Riley also grabbed some fruit for a lovely fruit salad and I made a green salad.
We both snuck in a chore or errand or two edgewise during the day as we are after all, no longer teenagers.
I put my hair in cold curlers foolishly as it wasn’t enough time to set really, and we enjoyed a porch dinner. It was our most private and clean spot. No actually I had to clean off a gardening project and put on a table cloth.
And off to setting the hair, re-curling much of it with hot rollers and a little extra time on make up! I was starting to wonder if there was water in my hairspray bottle. My poor hubby was getting anxious! “Emmy, we will only have half an hour there!”
How nostalgic! As we walked in, Forever Young was playing! And we did have a HALF hour to pretend we were Forever Young.
We had a cute high school girl take some pictures for us, after having had a few taken at home before we left
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The dance didn’t wrap till half past 10 pm, so we had an HOUR there, which was just a snitch longer than we were ready to wrap up for.
Riley and I were so blessed to be gifted with a cruise last year, and stepping onto the dance floor, about killed Riley. After pulling him aside and crying, about how much I wanted to just hold his hands, and me dance, just that, would mean so much. So Riley knew from that experience how much it meant, and he was so sweet to hold hands with grinning spinning shuffling about me. “I like the way you twirl that dress!” he said lifting the eyebrows. He was a perfect sport and I am so thankful to him for it.
I guess I must admit, I did take a peak around. It didn’t appear anyone was noticing that I was the “bell of the ball”, but the gentlemanly men were into their own “bells”, just as it should be. And Riley was certain he was dancing with the “bell of the ball!”
His bell of this ball.
After our actual anniversary date the day before, we had done some local economical sweet old fashioned dance lessons that we always love of a Friday night with Mike and Tani McNees, we then attended temple sealings, explained here too, which reminded us of our own temple sealing on our wedding day, followed by some lovely to be continued dancing of our own to favorite songs at home… With Mom Prom the next day, it was a wonderful way to take time to play, to celebrate our…
