1972...It Was a Very Good Year!
1972...50 years ago! Funny, it doesn't seem all that long ago, but my how the time does fly!
This past weekend we celebrated a 50-year milestone, Mike's high school class reunion. It brought back lots of memories, and as we visited with his fellow classmates, a lot more memories came back. We enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and catching up on everyone's lives. We've all added to our family trees and our waistlines, and most of the guys have a lot less hair than in 1972! But by and large, the changes are positive.
The big news the week of our wedding was the Rapid City Flood. It was devastating and a little too close to home. Interestingly enough, we have become friends with a couple that we didn't know at that time. They were married a week before we were and honeymooned in Rapid City so were caught and marooned for a time due to flooding. We occasionally get together sometime in June to celebrate together.
The day of our wedding turned out to be a dreary day. I've since heard the old wives' tale that predicts that if it rains on your wedding day, it will be a happy marriage. There might be something to that, at least we can't cast doubt on the theory. Shortly before that evening's ceremony, we got a rain shower. Then the sun came out and drove all the heat and humidity into the church. At that time the church wasn't air-conditioned so it was really sticky.
But the wedding came off without a hitch and the deed was done! Not sure how things are done today, but as we left the church to make our "get away" run, we found that some of the groomsmen had been busy filling our car (which I'm pretty sure was locked!) with newspapers and decorating it with "Just Married" graffiti. Then as we drove away, a bunch of friends gave chase. Not sure if they intended to follow us clear to Winner or what, but Mike gave them the slip. At that time, 95mph was just a spot on the speedometer that he passed to find his perfect cruising speed! So he kicked up the speed, turned off on a dirt road, wet from the evening's rain, and ducked behind a haystack. We watched everyone sail on by, which in retrospect was kind of odd since they should have seen our tracks on the wet road! But we sat there long enough to be sure they were gone, turned around and peacefully headed for Winner for our one-night honeymoon.
The next morning I went to brush my teeth and squirted out a bunch of rice-toothpaste mixture! The bridesmaids were busy also, as they had pretty much infested my overnight bag with rice. I threw that bag away 25 years later with rice still stuck in the corners of the pockets!
So anyway, this past 50 years has really gone by in a blur...just like that we are getting old and noticing the slow down. I look back and can look at almost every one of those 50 years and know what we were doing during that time...having children, milking cows, attending kids' activities, milking cows, watching kids grow up, working jobs after we moved to town, welcoming grandchildren, and eventually great grandchildren, into our lives, adjusting to our empty nest life, shooting Fast Draw, traveling to Arizona. We lived each and every moment of those 50 years, but they sure have gone fast.
When I look back, there might be a few things I would have done differently just because they would have been wiser, but for the most part life has been good and right. I remember having lots of doubts when we got married, just because it was a big step and I always tend to doubt myself. But, as it turns out, that was one of the better decisions I have ever made. Mike has always been a good husband, and has only improved through the years, not quite perfect yet but getting closer all the time.
We were so young when we got married, 19 to be exact. When I look at 19-year-olds today, I have to wonder if we were that immature. The answer is definitely yes, and maybe even more so. But it did give us a chance to grow up together. Being young we weren't set in our ways so we were able to forge a life together without making big changes. We are now so permanently set in our habits that change would be almost impossible.
50 years ago we could only afford a one-night stay in a motel as a honeymoon. This year, in honor of our 50th anniversary, we are finally going to take that honeymoon! We will be heading to Wyoming, the Cody/Yellowstone area, to see the sites and spend time together celebrating us.
Then, as an added bonus, when we arrive home, the kids are coming to help us celebrate with family pictures. The family picture thing has been a dream of mine for a year or more, so they are all going to come and help make it a reality. To say I am excited for the next couple weeks is an understatement, regardless of high gas and hotel prices! A week alone with my best friend and lover, topped off by a weekend with as much family as can show up. It doesn't get much better than that!
I am so thankful that I can write this post. As we get older, many people aren't afforded the opportunity to celebrate a 50th class reunion or a 50th anniversary. To be able to do so is an awesome blessing that we don't take for granted. During the past 50 years we accumulated 4 kids, some in-laws, 14 grandchildren, 5 great grandsons, a vast store of possessions, and a combined 100 lbs. Yay for the kids and grandkids, boo for the stuff and the weight. Wish we could say we have accumulated a bunch of money, but nope! Still poor!
So while this blog post seems to be mostly about us, I want it to encourage others also. If you are married, whether a long time or just a few years, treasure your marriage and your spouse. I speak of the past 50 years like it has been perfect, and believe me, it hasn't. But mostly, it has had way, way, way more good times than bad. I'm just glad we didn't give up during some of the bad times so that we could go on to have the good times, which were so much better after enduring the bad times.
Thanks for walking down memory lane with me!
Comments
Post a Comment