Twenty-Three Years of Wedded Bliss

This year we celebrated our 23rd Anniversary quietly and simply.  

The actual day (3/12) was filled to the brim with a schedule that looked something like this:

9:00 am - 1:00 pm:  track meet (Lexee)

9:30-10:30 am:  church meeting (Bill)

12:00 - 2:00 pm:  baby shower (Tina)
12:00-2:00 pm:  babysitting (Shilo)

12:30 - 10:00 pm:  birthday party (Mauri)

2:30 - 3:30 pm:  wedding (Bill & Tina)

4:00 - 6:00 pm:  Stake Leadership Meeting (Bill); wedding reception (Tina)

6:00 - 7:00 pm:  dinner at church (Bill & Tina)

7:00 - 9:00 pm:  adult session of Stake Conference

It was nuts.


But you can't let an important occasion such as a 23rd anniversary slip by, as if it meant nothing, so I have decided to post our engagement picture rejects, in commemoration.

I think I borrowed this cute pink number from my sister, and Bill already owned this tie.  

This picture wasn't bad, but our facial expressions did not exude our can't-wait-to-be-married excitement and joy.  It almost looks like we had already been married 23 years.  Not that there's not excitement and joy anymore -- there's plenty -- it's just not as evident in our day-to-day countenances, because there's also 23 years of endure-to-the-end life-is-a-neverending-marathon mixed in.

With Bill's eyes-half-closed-teeth-clenched-I'm-thrilled-to-be-here expression, this picture was a no-go.

I've never been a fan of the "look at the ring" pose -- for anyone.  When I'm paying a wedding photographer, I will make it clear to not waste time on this particular shot.  And what was up with my hair?  This was definitely not the best angle to capture the bigness of it all.  I don't think I spent much time styling the back.  But you do get a clear view of my pre-maternal makeup artistry skills.

Awkward arms.  'Nough said.

My favorite reject, thanks to Bill.  (This is how our kids look when they sleep... eyelids cracked just enough to see their eyeballs rolling around underneath.)  It just makes me smile.  In these pics, we are in our special clothes -- the ones we purchased for this engagement-picture-taking occasion.  I was a sucker for all things shiny.  I loved, loved, loved satin.  We shopped together for the perfect tie to complement my immaculately styled aquamarine blouse.  I think Bill wore that tie for at least 15 years (or more), so it was our first sound financial investment.

This reject is my least favorite (cough, cough).  I just wanted to show off my eye-shadow skills again.  A metallic gold on the lid, shimmering copper in the crease, coordinating frosted aqua on the outside corners... in case you were wondering how to duplicate the look.

Another wasted ring shot.

And the winner was:

Just the right amount of happiness, joy, and perfect-hair-bigness (for both of us).

And to top it off, we are holding hands.  How sweet is that?

These days my hair is never that big, although sometimes I relapse and get it close, Bill's hair would no longer disappear into the dark background, and we just might have that 23-years-of-married-bliss + 23-years-of-marathoning look on our faces.  Our clothes wouldn't be as snazzy, our skin wouldn't be as youthful, my makeup wouldn't look so done.

But we love each other much more than we could have possibly imagined back then.

And we still hold hands.

And if you're dying to know, our quiet and simple celebration this year consisted of:

miso soup and sushi,
a run to Costco,
a stop by Safeway,
a rental from Redbox,
and frozen yogurt from Gotcha
...a day early.

We know how to party.