Sunday, March 26, 2006

 

Self-Portrait with Wedding Ring

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. Six years! I can hardly believe it's been that long. In fact, sometimes I can hardly believe it happened at all.

Rick picked out the engagement ring for me in 1998, and I think he did a great job. It's a simple and classic design, and I still love it. He proposed during a two day trek on Wheeler Peak in New Mexico...a two day trek filled with snow and ice and five people stuffed into a four-person tent. (If that doesn't sound romantic to you...then it's probably a good thing you're not married to me or Rick!). We spent a year planning a May wedding. And then a month before the wedding...I got cold feet. Two months later, the two of us (still unwed) moved to Idaho. Then I got even colder feet and broke up with the guy.

He bought me another ring after we were no longer a couple. Engraved on the inside was the word, "Always", and I wore it on my right hand. Maybe Rick had a hunch that we wouldn't be apart for long, because four months later, I was visiting Oklahoma and Rick was living here. I called him and asked him to come to Arkansas with me. We got married in a dark living room of a Razorbacks-obsessed justice of the peace, and two days later, I was back in Idaho, and Rick was finishing the last preparations for a six-month trek on the Appalachian trail.

The six-month hike didn't work out, and I got to see the groom again after only a month. Some of my friends in Idaho didn't believe that I got married on my trip to Oklahoma...until my husband came to live with me at the end of April 2000. To this day, when people ask about our honeymoon, I tell them, "After we eloped in Arkansas, I celebrated in Idaho and my husband honeymooned in Georgia!" Often, they want to know why we chose Arkansas. "Well", I reply, "We had to go somewhere where it's legal to marry kin."

Happy Anniversary, Rickus. Thank you for saying yes to that road trip. Thanks for all the good years since then. And thank you for my rings, the one you proposed with and the one that became my wedding band.

Always.

# posted by katie @ 9:23 AM
Comments:
Wow, Happy Anniversary!
# posted by Blogger Rosemary : 10:26 AM
 
Very cool story! :) Happy Anniversary! :) Pretty rings too :)
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 8:14 AM
 
sung to the William Tell Overture (you'll just have to take my word for it):

Happy anniversareeee
Happy anniversareeee
Happy anniversareeee
HAAAAAPPY anniversary.

Happy happy happy happy happy anniversary
Happy happy happy happy happy anniversary
Happy happy happy happy happy anniversary
Happy happy happy happy happy anniversary

Happy anniversareeee
Happy anniversareeee
happy anniversareeee
HAAAAAAPPY anniversary!
# posted by Blogger Nanda : 9:16 AM
 
Happy Anniversary! (better late than never!)
# posted by Blogger Sanders : 5:00 PM
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?