Yesterday was our 22nd wedding anniversary.  22 Years!!!!  I will not tell you, nor would my husband say, that all 22 were spectacular in every way but I think we both believe we would not have wanted to share those years with anyone else.

I knew I was going to marry him on the first date. I told my mother to buy her dress because I was going to marry that man. We went out to dinner, saw a movie and stayed up almost all night talking. (no really) He claims I kissed him first but now I know his wiring is a bit off and he imagines things!! He kept the red bangle bracelet I wore on that first date on the stick shift in his car for months.  He still has our wedding photo in his wallet.

The day we got married hurricane Hugo hit.  The day started out great but that rain soon came and it was something else.  During the ceremony, we were in our own world.  Outside the birth of my children, that truly was the best day of my life.  I never heard the rain on the roof nor the firetrucks screeching up Union Street. Months later when we watched the video, my mother said, “here comes the sound of the sirens.”  and we said, “what sirens?”

When the ceremony was over, it was still raining like crazy.  When my new groom and I were ready to leave the church, we stood in the doorway ready to be greeted by family and friends and christened with the $45.00 worth of birdseed packets I purchased. Instead we saw three black limos lined up with men in dark suits and humongous umbrellas waiting for the wedding party.  We say it looked like a scene from The Godfather….(being Italian, we found the humor in that!)

On the way to the reception, the rain was so bad and so blinding that the limo driver went the wrong way down a boulevard and almost killed us.  He slammed on the brakes and we fell onto the floor. I will never forget that feeling.  Something terrible could have happened on the best day of my life, but it did not. And I think we have been lucky together ever since.

My poor husband did not get the better end of this deal.  Since we have been married, I have broken more bones, had more surgery and pretty much tormented him ever since.  When that wonderful day and night came to and end and we were alone in the Honeymoon Suite and I bet you can guess what happened next, right? Nope, I looked at that wonderful man, with that shiny new band on his finger and said, “I am starving, can we get a grilled cheese?”  And I knew then, as we walked across the street to Denny’s at 2am on my wedding night, that this grilled cheese would taste better than any other grilled cheese I have ever eaten!