A wedding! (22 years ago)

My friend Nancy sent some snapshots to me recently that she took at our wedding. I thought others might enjoy seeing them too. It's our 22 wedding anniversary today!

We met at a contra dance. My beloved was finishing his masters degree in engineering at UMASS Amherst. He had come to Tampa to install equipment in a NOA plane so that he could fly in hurricanes and take measurements. He attended a dance while there, we met, and that was the start.

He asked me to marry him on a subsequent visit at Halloween. I said yes.
We knew. We just knew it was to be. 

He was a poor grad student. I was a poor social worker. We got married one year after meeting, the ceremony was outdoors with about 60 people in attendance. The whole thing was on a shoestring budget. My dress was a lace and chiffon concoction bought at Macy's bargain outlet. The veil was new bought for $20, and I glued pearls down the length of it.
My childhood friend Lane came, and her mother played the piano for me to walk toward my partner. No family to escort me, I chose my great friend Eric to escort me to Drew and couldn't have been in better hands.Drew's Uncle officiated.
We held the reception right there inside the community center hall.

This is our first married dance to the tune, "Just in Time"

We met dancing, and planned to marry on the day of a contra dance, so that after the reception we could go dance together as husband and wife!  We are still each other's favorite dance partner. (I know his moves)

We gently fed each other cake. No smashing cake in faces for us. We match in values, and neither one of us thinks that's clever.
We still like cake!

 

Here we are in our going away duds. Off to meet the challenges of the world! Together! 

This is our picture from a month ago, at Elizabeth Park Rose garden in CT...

 My husband looks more handsome, and you can see our 8th anniversary gift in front.

 (8th year is "poodle" )

We enjoy travel, long walks, dancing, eating out, comfort and peace,dogs, reading, and each other. 

Not necessarily in that order. Happy 22nd anniversary to us!

I still do...

Contra dance
stolen kisses
leads to love
and marriage
This is for my dear husband Drew on the occasion of our 20th wedding anniversary. I still do... love you.

These photos are from dusty framed snapshots that sit on our shelves every day, so please excuse the graininess or reflections. Look at the love shared.

This in on the coast of N. CA

We met at a contra dance in Fl, and spent the week basking in each other's company.(check out a contra post here!) Despite Drew telling me he wasn't good at letter writing, we kept in touch. So much so that we were engaged within 3 months and married within a year.

Ah San Fransisco, look at those newlyweds! So glad the wedding is over and they can start their lives.

 Both relieved to find the person who wants and supports and cares for them so very much. A place to belong. A family. These two didn't think about 20 years from that date and all they would go through together in the mean time. They just knew it was good to be together.
We still prefer each other's company.

We've traveled many places, including this birthday trip for me to Newport RI when Cole was an infant.

We have experienced loss and wins and daily life together.
Drew is the one I want to tell my story to at the end of each day.
During our courtship, which was long distance MA to FL, we spoke nearly every day, wrote letters, one of us received flowers regularly, and saw each other when we could. All looking toward the day when we would live together.

We have a few pictures on shelves, but we have many more mental pictures of the moments that make up our life together. We have many stories to share at the end of the day.
I am continually grateful for our love.
 Love, LeeAnna
look at this cute picture from last year  click here!

Waking up is a pleasure

looking toward our hotel

 Waking up is a pleasure on vacation in Lake Placid, not only because coffee is involved, but you can open the balcony door to fresh cool air, a lake view and coffee. It was so peaceful til a family with toddlers moved in to the ground floor directly beneath us. Let's just say over the course of the week, we heard the toddlers names a meeelion times, " Albert, you breathe air, so smart!. Victor throw the ball, good boy!"
I've never quite seen such an obsessed extended family, 5 rooms of adults doting on two crying boys.

But I digress...

 We had a ritual for the days. Balcony and coffee. Walk around the lake for me while Drew and Cole check out the dog channel, which we called sitting on the hill watching people walk around the lake.

Meet up at the public beach for a swim and fetch session. Cole hasn't been able to walk distance since recovering from Rocky Mt spotted fever two years ago. He does love splashing around in the cold water and fetching his floating toy.

 Tons of people kayaking, dogs cavorting, sunbathing here. I love to hear people's stories so I chat. There was a 86 year old who took up distance swimming two years ago and competed the day before. She swam without a wetsuit, but DH wore his. He runs but swimming is much more physically demanding so he tried to swim and run most days.
I'm proud of the endurance built up over the short time.

The three of us love shopping in this book store and left with some treasures. I got an artist pad, a book of what I would have learned in art school, a quilt book, and a new pen. Drew got a special pencil. Cole got petted and made over.

everyone loves a book store

sunbathing a daily occurance

After a walk, we set up by the lake when DH swims and Cole and I sunbathe and read old magazines. Junk magazines with no redeeming value. yum! We all got tan because there is so little air pollution. We ate lunch down by the lake, then when the sun went behind the hotel we moved on to the next activity.

Amanda Evora

I go to the Olympic ice rinks and watch awesome skating for a couple hours.
Usually it's teenager/ adults taking classes with world class coaches. This time I had two brushes with greatness, as Paul Wylie, Olympic winner and current coach asked me if I was a mother of a student, and Evelyn Kramer spin coach to Michele Kwan chatted to me about poodles. She also has a standard back home in CA.
This time I loved watching the skyliners, a group of precision skaters like the rockettes. They do intricate moves, in and out of lines. It really appealed to the artist in me.


The last day I watched all the skaters doing final rehearsals for the show. I got to see all the adults in costume, and cried watching other overweight older women following their passions. It told me it's never too late to learn, to try a new skill, and to put yourself out there. Skate like no one is judging you! I also saw Amanda Evora Olympic pairs skater, my apologies as I can't find the partner's name. Then, the hunk, Ryan Bradley skated out on the ice. It's just mind stopping seeing a 6 foot tall athlete leave the ground and spin around three times in the air, land and immediately do it again. Stunning. The teens sitting near me in the stands waiting to rehearse the finale all did a collective sigh with me.
I find it more interesting to see a dress rehearsal than the real show...  I have a theater background, and am no stranger to choreography as I spent 10 plus years dancing in shows but it's been years and injuries since I've had to learn instant routines. It was fun to watch the process again.
After I drag myself out leave the arenas, I shop for a while, then head back to the balcony to meet up with the men of my life.

bad self pic but good wine moment

 We spend some good quality late afternoon time listening to loons, watching the setting sun, drinking wine reading to each other and I do a bit of hand sewing. After this interlude I walk the 3 mile path again, Drew and Cole meet me at the beach for another dip, and we order dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
Another perfect day at Lake Placid, where the air is clean and cool, the water clean and cold, and the wine clear, cold and delicious.
Missed you all, wish you could have been there.
LeeAnna

Always...

The happy couple

Always- valentine quilt for  2012

This is our 19 year wedding anniversary! I'm not sure which one this is, like the first anniversary is paper. The 19th should be something durable like steel.
My husband Drew and I have a cute-meet story.
We met at a contra dance, and immediately said to ourselves, oooh la la, this is something real!
WATCH A CONTRA DANCE
We've been lucky enough to dance together since that night. He is still my all time fave dance partner!
 We dated because that's what you do, but both of us knew early on it was more than dating. We just knew, and three months in Drew asked me to marry him.
We were married one year after that dance, and have had first-hand knowledge of: in sickness and health, for richer for poorer, it's better to love than be right, if one diets we both diet, sometimes you just give more, sometimes the mate gives more.

Love. It's a daily thing.


We "get" each other, we make each other laugh, we have morals and values in common, we like the same kind of food and drink, we like each other's company, we talk a lot, we sit on the back porch on summer evenings and read out loud to each other, we like road trips, we value tolerance. Drew goes with me to scary doctor visits, he makes dinner when my body aches, he carries the laundry up and down the basement stairs.
When I was on my way to work early on in our dating life, he asked if I had lunch money. I almost cried at how nice that was. He still asks if I need lunch money.
Over the years we've had to learn to communicate in each other's language. Oh we both speak English, but he's an engineer and I'm an artist, he's male and I'm female so sometimes understanding is a bridge to cross over. We had to learn how each other thinks, and solves problems. What kind of compliments to give, when to be quiet, to let the wife pick all decorative items for the house, to not speak to the husband when he is in school mode. Through it all we know the importance of respect when considering love. Respect of self, time, space, feelings, over all respect.
We also understand the importance of fun. When we were getting serious, Drew asked what I wanted in a mate. I listed qualities including 'have fun together'. He solemnly said he could do all those but have fun. I laughed but soon realized FUN was a gift I could bring to his life.That and companionship, belonging, intelligent conversation, true connection and meaning. We have so much fun together.
I am writing this as a tribute to him and our marriage and no doubt it might sound different coming from him.
Being quiet and introspective he'd probably answer the question "what do you think of your marriage" by saying, "it's good" 
After 20 years together, I know what he means. I love you Drew, thanks for being my partner in life.
LeeAnna