Happy Anniversary To Me!

Thirteen years ago today I was bawling my eyes out because I'd started my period on my wedding day. My maid of honor kept telling me that it was okay because we had the rest of our lives to have sex. True, but it made for a crappy honeymoon.
Our wedding day, let's see if I have as many vivid memories of it as I did my sister's. It was a perfect day. My best friend/maid of honor and I stayed up late talking in bed the night before but I still wasn't tired when I got up that morning. It was amazing that I even slept at all. After discovering good old Aunt Flo, I called Mike to tell him but his little brother wouldn't let me talk to him. So, I relayed the message. HA! Sixteen year old Chevy had to relay the message that I'd started my period. I know his face must've been beet red because he's so bashful about "woman" things. I heard Mike in the back ground saying "She did? Oh, well, that's okay." That's when I figured if it wasn't going to ruin Mike's day I wasn't going to let it ruin mine.
After getting dressed and ready to go to town, my maid of honor (MOH) and I went to Miami and picked up the wedding cake. We took my sister's van and folded down the middle seat to accommodate it. I can't remember if we took it straight to the church or if we took it home first.

That afternoon was spent getting our hair and make up done. My sister did everybody's hair and my Mom did everybody's make up. There was my MOH, my Diva friend (did you get your hair and make up done, seems like it), the girl who sang, the lady who played the piano, my Grandma's usual old lady do without the make up, my sister, my Mom, and of course me. It wasn't until after the wedding that Mike told me that his Mom was crying because she couldn't get her hair to do anything that I felt like a complete and total jerk for not thinking about his side of the family in the hair and make up department. I don't know why I didn't think of it, they couldn't have easily done her. I did apologize, and hugged her (which is their custom, not mine).

I don't even remember how I got to the church. Who did I ride with? My sister? My parents? My MOH? I know I didn't drive because I left in Mike's car and I didn't have to leave my car there. I probably rode with my MOH.

Once at the church, I realized I'd left my hoop at home. I started panicking thinking I wouldn't have it but a nice lady from Wyandotte who was coming to the wedding anyway, said she would stop by and pick it up and she did. In hind sight, I wish I hadn't worn the stupid thing anyway because in almost all my wedding pictures you can see the hoop at the bottom of the dress.

Before walking down the aisle, I was so nervous I was shaking. Standing in that little room in the back with my Dad and MOH, I was a bundle of nerves. Someone came to the room and said "It's 5:00! We're starting!" The rest of the wedding party was standing out in the hall and they all went in at 5:00 sharp. First Mike and his best man, then my brother escorted my Mom in, then Mike's brother escorted his Mom in. Then my brother escorted my grandma and Mike's his grandma. Then it was time for Emily and Luke, my flower girl and ring bearer. They had to have a little coaxing from my sister about halfway down the aisle, but they did good after that. Then my MOH. Then it was just me and Daddy in that little room and I really got nervous. Not about being married, but about screwing up the ceremony in front of all those people! I had a death grip on Daddy's arm and he reached up with his other hand and said "Just breath." And we walked out.

I am not lying when I say here that my thoughts went something like this "Oh, look at Annette and Shannon, they're dressed in my wedding colors, how sweet! There's Mike's mean, old, ugly grandpa and his equally old and ugly girlfriend. Why are part of my family sitting on Mike's family's side? It totally sucks that I'm wearing white granny panties under my wedding dress. I hope this pad makes it through the ceremony. Ahhh, there's Mike. In a tux! I'm getting married!!!!!!"

When it was all said and done and we were the first out in the hall way, Mike grabbed me up and whirled me around and gave me a real kiss, not a staged one like we'd just done. Just a small private moment before the rest of the wedding party came around the corner. And here they came and we spent the next 30 minutes or so standing in the reception line shaking hands and hugging necks of people we wouldn't remember were there until we watched the video and looked at the guest book.

We were rushed to the back to hurry up and cut the cake, drink our toxic waste looking punch (it was fluorescent green, no joke) and open up the mountain of presents. Mike was opening some, I was opening some and my MOH was furiously writing them down. (Thanks, MOH! I don't think I've told you that enough)

Then it was picture time. I grabbed a chicken wing on my way out of the reception room. Which was a good thing because when we got back from taking pictures, the buffet looked like a herd of cattle or wild pigs had come through and there was not one crumb of food left. Not ONE CRUMB! And there was tons of food! Chicken wings, baby quiche, fruit tray, veggie tray, meat tray, cheese tray, not to mention the cake, punch, and mints. One of Mom's customer's had given me, as a wedding present, hand made wedding mints from Richardson's Candy House. I didn't even get to try one. They were beautiful, though. They were about the size of a quarter, pale green and peach, and shaped like a leaf, complete with the leaf pattern on the top of them. I heard they were delicious, I'll have to take their word for it.

When we finally got to leave, we were both starving and stopped at the Filling Station in South West City, MO, and got heat 'em and eat 'em burritos. Yum! The next wedding I'm involved in, I'm going to make a point to make a plate for the bride and groom before the masses come through the line so they can make sure and have something left for them when they get done with all their picture duties.

We spent our wedding night in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in an expensive Best Western. But it had a magnificent view off the private balcony. The next morning, we drove over to the Onyx Cave and after that, Mike announced to me that we were heading to New Orleans. I was so surprised, and happy. The trip didn't turn out at all like we had hoped and Mike had planned. But that's a story for another day.