17 years

It's our 17th Anniversary on November 12th...when friends and family told me on my wedding day to enjoy every moment, it goes by so fast, I really didn't believe them.  I thought it was just something to say.  Little did I know at age 22, a newlywed, that so much truth was in that statement!  It has been an awesome 17 years and every year is better and goes faster! 

We actually met at the sale barn...dad and I took some cattle up to sell and went into the cafe to get a drink and he comes walking in, walks back to the kitchen(like he meant to be in the kitchen ;) to talk to someone back there to find out my name, little did he know-the girl he asked was my cousin! ha ha  I am of course, thinking he's pretty cute and I know who he is...our folks had known each other for a long time, our dad's were in the Natl Guard together and our mom's had run around together in their younger days but for some reason...we had never met.  He finds out that my 21st bday is a few weeks away and that I was planning to be at the local dance hall that weekend...he made plans to be there too.  So, we actually meet that night--I'm with friends and my sister and we have a fun time.  He calls me the next day, we go out..Our first date was at the Greyhound track in Wichita...we met a bunch of his friends up there that night...I was a little nervous, he offers me some money to bet on a race...I didn't know anything about betting on dogs.  I bet, I lose.  I bet again, I lose again.  I was surprised he called me again!  I wasn't really wanting to date seriously, I had a big idea I would go to stewardess school in Dallas TX and fly the friendly skies. So we date a little off and on for a few months.  Then he doesn't call.  I wait.  He still doesn't call.  I move forward.  It is August and I'm thinking I really like this guy...so I call and invite him to our local fair.  I was singing that night.  He comes, brings friends...we have a good time...we were nearly inseparable from then on...we got engaged the following March (7 months later) and married in November that year.
 
 I didn't have a fancy wedding but it was nice...it was us.  I wore my mom's wedding dress, I borrowed my cousin's white cowboy boots, my m-i-l to be made my headpiece and veil.  The guys wore jeans, boots and tux jackets.  My flower girl wore pants and woven in thru out the decorations were stalks of wheat, grown by my dad.  I LOVED my cake...it was tiered and had a fountain under it...then there were cakes that spread out from it. Octagon shaped. JB and I LOVE white cake.  We had small bags of wheat in burlap bags full of more of my dad's wheat to throw.  A very dear friend sang "I Cross My Heart-George Strait and The Lord's Prayer"--the music would not play at the wedding and she's so wonderful...she didn't need music!  We were married in the town where I live now because the church was much larger and his family went there...then we drove to my hometown for a dance.  Tables were decorated with mason jars full of sand with votive candles inside.  Fancy huh?  I thought so...I'm not a Fru-fru girl. ;) 
It was good and of course there are things I might do different, but ya know...it doesn't really matter to me.  We still love each other and have had a wonderful life together...none of that "stuff" would make any difference now! 

This is probably my favorite picture

NOT taken by the photographer

and you can see the scratches and marks on it

We look so young

I was

ha ha

I'm 4 years younger ;)