Happy Anniversary!

My husband and I have been married eight years today.

And my in-laws thought (hoped) it would never last.

We look so young and rested there. Three kids, two pets, two homes, five jobs, and three family medical crises later, here we are. I can't say it's always been easy and to be quite honest, I can't say we have always liked each other, but we have always been there for one another.

Like any other little girl I had big dreams for my wedding day but it turned into a chaotic freak show. My dad drove off in the car leaving my sister and mother at the motel missing their hair appointments. I got into a huge fight with the hairdresser because she was pissed they hadn't made the appointment while I am waiting there with my best friends wondering if they had been in an accident and killed. I arrived home to find my husband's family members scattered throughout my house, undressed for the wedding, four hours early, without RSVPing, using our ONE bathroom to spiff themselves up. Screw the bride and groom. Our house was a complete disaster following the rehearsal dinner we hosted the night before. Someone left the shrimp out and the place stunk. Derick's mom kept letting the dog loose and my cat was shaking under a bed somewhere. My aunt, who had my wedding dress (I still don't know why) got lost in our small town and arrived late to the church, but that was allright because I was late as well trying to get Derick's family off my couch and out of my house. I cried like a baby leaving my dog there alone knowing I wouldn't see him for a full week, honeymoon and all (oh, how times have changed). My sister had to drive back to retrieve my makeup and the ring-bearer pillow and I think the photographer had started drinking before the festivities. The wedding began around 3:30 instead of 3:00 like the invitations stated. The ceremony was short and sweet, I began cracking up in the middle of it for whatever reason and I look like a complete ditz on the video. My parent's neighbor pulled my veil off in the receiving line and I never could get it back on correctly so I had the worst hair day ever in my posed wedding photos. We made it to the reception in record time but apparently not soon enough for my dad who ran right up to us as they announced us in the door to let me know they wouldn't serve drinks until we arrived and I better go right then to let them know I was there because my uncle was paying for drinks out of pocket for everyone at the bar next door. The reception was a complete blast though. The food was awesome and the drinks kept flowing. By the end of the evening I just quit using the cups and drank out of the champagne bottles left on the tables, very bride-like I know. I mean, I was paying for that, I wasn't about to waste it. When I went to change for the drive to the airport motel, I realized I didn't have any shoes to wear on my honeymoon and my poor mom, the only sober one in the place, had to drive the half hour back home to fetch some. My dad and uncle got mighty tipsy and moved on to the bar after the drinks ran out. Our friends and my husband and me shut the place down. They actually made us leave, but that was allright because we were supposed to be at the Pittsburgh Hilton hours earlier anyway. So my wedding wasn't quite as fancy as I had pictured it as a little girl, but it was ours....chaotic and crazy and sometimes fun, just like our life has been.