We're Golden.

Today Husband and I are celebrating our Golden Anniversary (with a morning spent on a plane and afternoon spent with me blogging and him napping on the couch. He promises take-out P.F. Chang's later while we catch up on "The Bachelorette".  See what you have to look forward to, kids?).
Oh, we're not celebrating the '50 year' kind of Golden but the kind that every kid gets excited about and that I swear I never got the memo about when I was little. However, my birthday is on the 21st and I did have a blow-out, unforgettable weekend in Vegas when I turned the big two-one - with Husband coincidentally - so as it turns out my Golden bday was, in fact, pretty damn memorable. 
No wait - scratch that.  
I've actually forgotten quite a bit of it (...and had by the 22nd. The day, not the birthday).

I got married on June 19th, 1993. And the math tells me that was 19 years ago. I say that because it's just not possible that I'm now one of those old-ish people that have been married forever. When I told a friend of mine that we were coming up on 19 years she replied, ”But you're not old enough to have been married that long!!”
I told her that she was my new favorite (and also that I got married when I was 16).

I seriously WAS young when I got married - we both were (24 if you are wondering). And now that I have a 16 year old ready to take on the world (and now that I can use all the worldly wisdom I've acquired over the past 19 years), I realize how god-awful young that is.  I regret not traveling more and taking advantage of being a 24 year old baby instead of desperately wanting to be more ”grown-up” (and I also really regret the whole shoulder-pad phase of my early-20’s).
But one thing I don't regret, regardless of if I was 24 or 34, was marrying this guy (see above anniversary plans).  I knew he was a keeper.  And I wasn't gonna let him get away.

See? Still holding on tight.

Every year on our anniversary I like to dig out the giant VHS wedding tape and pop it in the VCR that we surprisingly still have (I keep it just to be able to watch all the old humungous tapes from pre-2000 that I keep meaning to get transferred. And my copy of "Pretty in Pink". Duh.).  I demand  invite the whole family (and by 'whole' I mean Husband and the Things) to gather 'round to watch misty-eyed with me as we relive every moment of the magic and romance of our wedding.  Okay, maybe I'm the only one watching with tears in my eyes as I'm maybe hollering at them to WATCH THE DAMN VIDEO (after 19 viewings they're maybe a little bit sick of it), but it makes mama happy and you don't survive 19 years of marriage without knowing that you gotta make mama happy, am I right or am I right??

Since I can't share my cutting-edge-for-1993 video montage of wedding highlights (which is hilarious to watch in this era of cool and graphic imovies), I dug out a few wedding photos for your enjoyment. 
You are welcome.

And, btw, I am absolutely green with envy at all the beautiful wedding photographs I see on Pinterest and other blogs nowadays, but keep in mind, this was pretty much as good as it got back in the day (when they used FILM in cameras).

Seriously, why was this photo taken in a storage room?  

The next 2 crack me up with the lovely curtain.  

Was I supposed to be looking for someone? Seeing if guests were arriving? Checking the weather outside? (where we should have been taking the photos??)

Trying hard not to laugh. I'm not good at doing 'serious'.  Especially when instructed to look that way while studying my bouquet.  I remember being very confused as to why this was going to make a good photo.  Still wondering...

The dresses are NAVY, not black.  And I thought I was so original.
 I have since found out that about 95% of people who got married in 1993 - 1995 were also original and chose Navy.
 I like to think they were all copycats.

I have nothing sarcastic to say about this one.
Because I love it. 

Seriously though, the past 19 years have seen highs and lows and everything in between, and when I really stop to think about each year and all that it has held I have to catch my breath at everything we've been through...the joys, the tears, the excitement, the challenges and changes, 

and the laughter...always - always - the laughter.

As one of my very favorite songwriters put it in a song he wrote especially for me 

(being married to him has many perks) -

"...and these pretty good days - just keep getting better."

Cheers to 19 more!!  (...at least...)