Happy 6th Anniversary to Us!

Looking back six years ago:

We were married on October 13, 2001 in my home church. It was a cloudy fall day with a few sprinkles, but inside the church everything was beautiful. The fresh flowers were especially stunning. My favorite flowers included bridesmaids' rose bouquets with fall nuts and acorns nestled in them and a burgundy ribbons with leaves attached to them that ran down the center isle of the church. Kevin and I were both misty eyed during the ceremony, and he squeezed my hand to try to be funny so I wouldn't cry. Our guests were given handfuls of freshly fallen leaves to throw at us as we left the church and it looked so pretty to have all of the leaves in the air at one time. The reception was a lot of fun, but went by so fast! We spent the night at a local bed and breakfast. My sister (little sneak!) had decorated the room with silk fall leaves and candles, and left us a basket of snacks. Kevin really appreciated the snacks! The reception was so busy that we didn't get to eat much of our dinner or drink more than a few sips of champagne.

The happy couple honeymooned in New Orleans the following week. Just one month after 9/11, New Orleans seemed very quiet. Many people were scared to travel. We went on with our honeymoon as planned, as we felt that the terrorists win if we stay home in fear. There were very few people in the hotels we stayed in, eating at restaurants where we experienced Cajun and Creole cooking, as well as exploring with us on cemetary tours. Now we feel forunate to have experienced the flavor of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina.

Updated 10/14/07:

We spent our anniversary celebrating my grandparents' 80th birthdays. Our family had dinner at an Amish farm with all of my aunts, uncles, and most of the cousins. We had salads and rolls with apple butter, pan fried chicken, Swiss steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, noodles, stuffing, green beans, and a selection of pies to choose from. Mmmm. Delicious carbohydrate overload! I sat under a gas lamp and was surprised at how much light and heat it let out. I liked watching a little blond Amish schoolgirl peek out and enjoy listening to us tell stories. My grandfather retold the story about how he stood up my grandmother on their first date. It was V-J day, and he went out celebrating with his buddies. I'm sure they just went out to clink glasses over a few rounds of milk. Ha ha! Anyway, I'm glad that she decided to give him another chance! Kevin gave me a new photo printer for our anniversary. It prints my photos and scrapbooking pages out much nicer than the regular ink jet printer we have.