36 YEARS OF MARRIAGE - & Jerry said we would not last 5 years

On the 19th of June, we will celebrate our 36th anniversary, It will be a quiet celebration - very different from last year & our trip to St Criox. Thanks to an unexpected job loss that was with no warning, in fact the words told were " your job is safe for at least 6 months". Big fat liar comes to mind oh danny boy! But quiet works well as the break in my tailboat is not healing according to the new x-rays ...car riding is out of the question so look out Raleigh here we come.

We have gotten used to a less flamboyant way of life. No cable causes us to talk more, play more games & why would anyone need more than 22 channels (I miss HGTV & PBS) but the others no so much. Doing in the home phone is peaceful & other than Mark & Jean no one ever calls me anyway. Eating at home is definitely more peaceful - no strangers around me. The boat is cheap to visit as wind is free & we eat on board - play games & sleep early. Whether we will keep our boat, Mulligan, is up for grabs....the slip fee is higher than we may justify. Things have made a huge change this year but our love for one another has grown. When things get tough, love has bound us closer together.

Our anniversary is always around Father's Day.... an accident. We obviously had no kids, my parents were divorced & Mark's Dad did not go to Provo with us, so we did not even realize it would be Father's Day weekend usually. It was not a problem when the kids were young as we took them with us, then last year it was an issue as we went to St Croix but this year we are alone again. The weather is being predicted at 98-99 degree .... not sailing weather. A lot of work to get ready to sail & clean up afterwards. Hoping a good movie maybe or shagging is I can physically do it. We will spend the time together talking about that time 36 years ago.

A short synopsis of 36 years ago.... We left in our Javelin with Mom & Jeff in tow to drive from NC to Utah. Jeff said he did not want to go until 3 days before the trip, so this means my special "temple ready" wedding gown was left in Raleigh. No room in car for Jeff luggage & dress. Jeff was "way" more important than a dress. I did get to wear it at the reception. It was really hot driving out & cars then did not have air conditioning - Mark said it had 460 air - 4 windows down doing 60 miles an hour. Mom spent most of her trip saying "rolling up the windows as it was messing up her hair". By Texas, I said "Mom I do not care if it blows your head off, we are not rolling up the windows". I was hot , cranky & she had pink rollers in her hair - not exactly a fashion statement. I later felt bad to fuss at her but seriously roll up the window in 106 degree weather. We arrived & stayed with Dorothy Paramore Deaver's parents. He was ex dentist - they were sooo nice but announced we were getting married everywhere we went. At 17, it was soooo embarrassing. He made Mark sleep in his office - he was very proper about appearnaces appearances ;) (I think he & Mom were cut from the same cloth). Sister Paramore fixed us hot chocolate the morning of the wedding (yeah it was 90 degrees but the cocoa was yummy) & Mark was so worried we would be late he dumped his out on her lace tableclothe. On the morning of June 19, 1973, we arrived at the Provo Temple. Mark's family Minnie, Mary & Fred & a friend of Minnie's went through with us. Because of the unknown (a.k.a. cocoa) , we missed out wedding but the wedding party did not. They went through without us & we waited & waited. The blessing was by the afternoon season meant Br Paramore could attend - he & Sister Paramore were scheduled to work in the temple that morning. It was a beautiful ceremony. They did a lovely wedding breakfast for us. Jerry came over & played around with Jeff while we were in the temple. Afterwards Jerry took Mom & Jeff back to North Carolina in his van. Kissing the love of my life (did I mention I picked him out when I was 12- he did not notice me then) was like coming home for me. I knew he was the one that Heavenly sent me to - he is my best friend, my love, & too often my caregiver. When I grow up, I want to be like Mark !!
36 years & we have only just begun .... I planning for 70th year anniversary. I would be 87 (that is not old as it is the average age for women).

Misc photos are posted.The photos of Mom, Jeff & Mark was traveling there & the house was the Paramore's, the sad pocked out lip was for Mark who was making faces beside me. We played during the photos at the Rose garden. He in shorts & me in my gown. It was a blast. My Mom always believed we were meant to be.

8-1/2 HOURS

8-1/2 hours - But who is counting??? I am! We went down to the boat this weekend - between the heat, & my broken tailbone we did not get to sail, but it was a good weekend. OK maybe good is not the right word - it was great. I slept for 8-1/2 hours straight. Between the gentle rock of the boat, the sound of the rain & the sound of the lapping of the water on shore, add a sleeping pill & pain pill and I was out like a light. I read 2 pages in my book before I was gone. I have not slept 3 hours straight in the last 18 months so it felt wonderful.

It was Summer Festival in Washington weekend, so we went down to the waterfront & looked at some cool but overpriced vendors (no problem as I did not need any of the stuff), listened to the band, watch the young (or crazy) people ride the carnival rides, planned to eat a funnel cake but got sidetracked by the free entertainment. The different law enforcement agencies ticketing & arresting the many drunks out driving in boats. Part of the festival is a boat parade where you drive by the waterfront one after another - this is like a feeding frenzy for the law enforcement. Check out my photos of the event - they include the Beaufort County Sheriff Department's Fountain boat, yes a Fountain boat. No outrunning them - this $400,000 boat was donated by Fountain (pretty classy of them). It was the US Coast Guard - they look like they have a tugboat but I guess they could call in planes, boats & whatever they needed. My favorite was Parker's Wildlife Officer - I took it for Parker to see, Washington had it police department boat too. I think they all found a way to balance their budgets. In one photo all 4 have some they are writing tickets for or arresting.
Mark & I were laughing so hard - drunks are so dumb. We could hear alot them & see them all - I thought they were going to fall in - they could not touch their noses or follow his finger with their eyes but explaining they were not drunk the whole time. Some did not know you could not drive a boat drunk - well duh! I do not want to be run over by a drunk. There were 8 women on a 16ft boat (over the limit for safety) who were so drunk they all sat on the same side of the boat - there had their knees in the water. I thought they were going to swamp the boat. Mark thought he was going to have to jump in to rescue them but instead they decided to go for a ride in the boat. They were so drunk they would stand & fall on top of each other while trying to toast the people on shore & singing the Love Boat theme. hahaha! Maybe you had to be there. We watched for 2 hours & I forgot about my funnel cake. That takes a lot. Ended with a super fireworks display. For a small town, the Summer Festival is a huge event. Come go with us next year!

We went back to the boat played poker - I fleeced Mark out of $1.32 (hey that is all the coins we had). No worry, I gave it back & we picked up chips at Dollar Tree - no money but you get to win. He fleeced me the next night - we are evenly matched in any game. Friday will be our 36th anniversary, so I guess we just know each other too well.

Saturday was our mistake - we rode to New Bern. We lived there when Dale was born & I had heard how it had grown. Wow - it has grown. We rode by our old homes & then back. The mistake was riding that long on a broken tailbone. It caused such pain that I called an end to the weekend. Well after eating at Mayflower- yummy flounder. We always split a meal as they serve way too much food. Had a great waitress so I told her manager what a good waitress she was. Usually I just complain. It was a fun weekend - lots of chatting, restful, fun, met some really nice boat owners in our marina & opportunity to laugh at complete idiots too & even got a little work on the boat done (very little for me). Mostly undivided attention of the love of my life - no tv, no phone, no computer - I loved it. Does it get better than that?? We are thinking sailing away to a small island. Nothing is more restful that being rocked to sleep - no wonder babies stop crying when you rock them.

Today, reality reappeared. I got my 2nd X-ray & painful exam. If you press once & ask the patient "Does that hurt?" & the patient gasps & says yes. Why repeat it 6-7 times. I did at least get stronger pain medicine to help me sleep & ride - no driving while taking it. I argued with my insurance company & then apologized for no reason other than she could not change their policies. Side note - why can an insurance company their size have a web page that is user friendly. I know 16 yr old that could design a better site. I did get a short visit from Dare,Ryan, E&O, & Hudson since I was not up to our usual dinner. I had a bowl of Cocoa Crispies for dinner - no standing needed. The drive to the doctors was all the movement I was up to today.

Check the photos - 8-1/2 hours changes your outlook but seeing others being completely stupid makes he feel better & smile. ;)

Where on where did my little blogs go??

I had blogs that were like diaries & were very important to me on here, Dallin's baptism & our visit, Parker's also, the feeling's I had the day Dale left for Iraq & then the day he came back. The excitement when Dare of telling me we were having twins. Our buying out sailboat, Mulligan & the hard work to restore it. My posts of my sister in law & FRIEND Jean & our friend.
It has been heartbreaking to lose my thoughts & some special feelings, & photos that since my computer board was fried meant the pictures were gone from my computer.
Stay in touch for new posts!!