(Updated) Happy 43rd Wedding Anniversary to my parents!

Today is my parent's 43rd wedding anniversary, quite an accomplishment! They were married on June 1, 1968 in a small Baptist church in Brooker, Florida. The ceremony didn't start until 8 p.m., and it was a hot and humid Saturday evening with candle wax dripping because of the heat. Their reception menu included a wedding cake, nuts, mints and punch, and that is all. Maybe the secret to a long and happy marriage is a simple reception.

For my parent's 43rd wedding anniversary dinner, they dined at Sonny's Real Pit BBQ in Alachua, the same restaurant they eat at every Wednesday night. Their favorite waitress, Carolyn, had a surprise cake waiting for them. Topped with blueberries, strawberries and kiwi with slivered almonds and a strawberry filling, they said it was delicious.

Yummy! Thanks Miss Carolyn! You're the best!

I took the photo below three years ago when we surprised them with a 40th wedding anniversary dinner with members of their wedding party. It's one of my favorite photos of the two of them.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! We love you and hope you have many, many more!

Happy Anniversary Jason and Kristen!

My young brother and his wife celebrated their one-year anniversary Sunday, May 17. Congratulations! It's hard to believe it's already been a year.

The photo below is of all the groomsmen and my dad on the end, and is one of my brother's favorites from the wedding. It's based on the movie Tombstone, which is one of his favorite movies.


All the siblings on both sides are now married, so no more weddings for a while. Hallelujah!

A Spring Wedding

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the wedding of my dear friend Katerina and her husband Iso on April 2 at the Knox County Courthouse. It was also Katerina's birthday.



The man who married them was a true Southern gentleman and so excited to perform the ceremony. I asked him how many weddings he has performed over the years, and he said he's lost count.



Katerina and Iso's son Aljosha joined them and was a little shy at first, hiding between his parent's legs.



We had a post-wedding celebration at Calhoun's on the River. Katerina loves the BBQ ribs.



Instead of feeding each other wedding cake, they celebrated with a wedding ice cream sundae.



Congratulations to the happy couple!

A couple of weeks later, we celebrated their daughter Sara's fourth birthday with a dinner and cake. I brought them some markers that can only be used on special paper, so my hands and their walls were safe.





Aljosha loved wearing my sunglasses!

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend we traveled to Florida for David's sister's wedding. It was unseasonably warm for March with highs in the 80s. The wedding was at the Omni ChampionsGate in Orlando on Saturday afternoon, and Allison and Matt make a wonderful couple!

The bride was beautiful, and it was a great event since we were able to see family members we haven't seen since leaving Florida in July 2006. I hung out in the bridal suite before the wedding and was able to take some photos.

Allison's mom helping her adjust her veil.



As the guests started to arrive we left them know we were up above watching them.



Allison wore her grandmother's pearls and gave each bridesmaid a set of pearls as a gift.



After putting on her dress and waiting for the ceremony to begin, Allison said, "I need to pee."



Allison, her maid of honor and cousin Mallory, and their grandmother.



The ring bearer and flower girl were adorable. Isabella wasn't happy about putting on her dress, and Daniel didn't want to give up his pacifier, but they were so cute walking down the isle together.



We're on our way down to the golf course for the wedding with only a few more minutes of being single.



Repeating the vows...


Allison's step dad is from Luxembourg, and several family members made the journey across the Atlantic, including cousin Olivier and his wife Alla. Olivier is a police officer in Luxembourg and was in his uniform. It was great to see them!



Her flowers were red and white.



The cake was beautiful and delicious.



At Friday night's rehearsal dinner, we had the groom's cake, which was made by one of Matt's co-workers. It was yummy too!



David's mom and step dad had the rehearsal dinner at their house in Winter Haven. They've recently completed a backyard renovation with a new deck and living space over their garage. The landscaping looks gorgeous in the front yard as well.









I don't know when we'll back in Florida, but it was a great visit! Congratulations Allison and Matt!

Cleaning out the Fridge

Sometimes I go on a cleaning frenzy, and that happened during the past week. I start organizing drawers and wiping unseen corners. I tend to get obsessive about it, but I can't stand living in a dirty house.

I cleaned the refrigerator and freezer from top to bottom. They weren't that dirty, but a few of the items in them should have seen the trash a lot sooner. One such item that we threw away several months ago was a piece of groom's cake from our wedding more than four years ago. For some reason, it made the move with us from Florida to Tennessee, but it should have been thrown out a long time ago. David and I both were brave enough to taste it, but it was severely freezer burned. I know four years is a long time to keep cake, but we didn't set the record by any means. I remember reading a story last year about a couple who had kept their wedding cake in the freezer for more than 30 years! Yummy!