Happy Anniversary

Fifteen Years of Happiness:

I was a little perplexed how to celebrate our anniversary this year.  Jotham spent the week previous away from home on a business trip, and it was easy to surmise that it wouldn't be a treat or probably even fun (for him) to make him eat out again and/or to spend another night in a hotel.  It just isn't necessarily his idea of fun when he does it for work so often.  

So the perplextion continued right up until the day of our anniversary, and then the ah-ha moment happened that morning.  I decided I would recreate our wedding reception and invite the kids to come as guests, since they weren't there the first time and are definitely one the greatest joys that have come out of our marriage! 

So I spent the day shopping and prepping.  I attempted to recreate the top layer of our wedding cake, I was a little rushed and used a different cake mix than normal and the cake literally fell apart on me while I was frosting it.  Although it was still yummy (no complaints there), it was the lumpiest cake I've ever set eyes on.  

That evening, I sent Jotham off to Mark's soccer game while I put the finishing touches on my plans.   I was annoyed that I couldn't find several pieces of my wedding memorabilia, I know they are somewhere, I know exactly where they were stored before we moved.  Urggh!  I was running out of time... I hurriedly dressed in my going away dress and surprised him with it all when he walked in the door.  He, too, quickly dressed up and that evening we dined on my wedding china at a table dressed just like the reception tables and enjoyed the same food we did fifteen years ago at our reception: chicken salad croissants and fresh strawberries.   

Amidst joyful dinner conversation about the day we got married, we taught the kids the tradition about tapping their glass at wedding receptions to encourage the bride and groom to kiss and it became painfully obvious that I've only taught my kids how to fish kiss. The older kids assured us they know to kiss properly. 

Then we cut the cake:

We had a little extra help:

Then we fed cake to each other:

I kept waiting for him to shove it in my face like he did the first time.

 But he didn't... and I was pleasantly surprised...

  

and then I realized I had my 

hand full of messy, fall apart cake 

and it was time for paybacks:

Of course, the kids loved this, especially when Jotham returned the favor:

but what you don't see in this picture, is a little three year old screaming and madder than 

mad at his mother because that "wasn't nice" - he was so upset, 

almost inconsolable that his parents would do that to each other. 

On our wedding night Jotham gave me a pretty little pearl necklace that I've loved.  It broke a few months back and the pearl was lost.  Jotham was showing the broken necklace to the kids as a lead up to the new diamond necklace he'd gotten me and was explaining the significance of the broken necklace when a light went on in Hannah, and she rushed down stairs.  She returns a moment later with the missing pearl!  She'd found it while sweeping the floor and we all know how she likes little, pretty things and so picked it up out of the dust pan and kept the treasure.  What a little blessing.  

So, for my anniversary I received two necklaces instead of one.  

And I cried because he gave me the diamond necklace I told him not to 

and I cried because we'd be able to fix the pearl one I thought was lost and gone for good.

It was a good night, a really good night, and an excellent anniversary. 

I've been blessed, so very blessed.