I've Been Married 13 years!

Well, here we are on our anniversary. I got my mom to snap a picture of us as we dropped off the kids at her house. We went to dinner (BJ's) and a movie (National Treasure - Book of Secrets). It has been 13 glorious years. We had a good time that night, but I think the kids had even more fun than we did at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Anyway, I have been tagged numerous times on numerous blogs, and I never respond...for various no good reasons...so for all of you who want to learn little known facts about me, read on and take a trip down memory lane with me.

This is my wedding day at the Salt Lake City Temple. We had a family picture by the doors, because my great great grandfather carved them. So, we take pictures by the doors whenever we can. I was the third generation in my family married at the SLC temple - my parents and my mom's parents were married there too. If you notice, there are a few of my siblings missing. I was stubborn and bull headed, and thus refused to wait three months for my brother Chris to get home from his mission so he could be at our wedding (hopefully he has forgiven me by now). Jenalee had already died, and since there were going to be kids missing anyway Mom decided to leave Mark home to practice with his baseball team so he could be assured of a starting position and not be punished by being placed on the bench for missing practice.
This is most of the people who were at the temple with us. It was kind of funny, when the temple worker took us to the sealing room, we looked around and didn't know anybody. I told her that we didn't know these people, and she asked us if we were sure? Turned out we were in the wrong room. It was a relief to get to the right room and see all the familiar faces.

Little known fact here. Alan and I went to the SLC temple to go through a session a week before we were married, and when we finished the session a temple worker came up to us and asked us if we could help them with some sealings a family was doing. We said sure, so we actually went through a sealing together before we were married even though it was in proxy. The temple workers were a little embarrassed when they found out we weren't married yet, because they had assumed we were. My dad took this picture of our hands on the temple door knobs. My great great grandfather carved the door knobs too. Take a good look at our rings, because you will never see us wear them. Unfortunately neither one of us can fit our ring on our finger. Alan jammed his finger playing football on Thanksgiving a few years back and his ring hasn't fit since. I haven't been able to wear mine since I gave birth to Leilani. Now I admit, we could make them bigger, but Alan's is engraved on the inside with a loving sentiment that would be lost if stretched. Mine could be made bigger, but...hope, vanity, wishful thinking, imagination, whatever you want to call it I still think it might fit someday.
I was so happy to have my friends at the temple with me. And I am proud to say that I am still friends with all of them, although I do not get to see any of them very often :(
You probably noticed that there is plastic under my dress in most of the pictures. It was spring when I got married (notice the blossoms on the trees and the flowers), but there was a snowstorm the morning I got married. In fact, the storm made me late to the temple, and my dear husband to be was waiting impatiently at the doors for us. It melted fairly quickly once the sun came out, but then we were dodging falling ice off the temple as we took pictures and of course the ground was wet.
I put in this picture to prove a point I have been trying to prove for 13 years. I keep claiming a video exists somewhere of my wedding, but no one seems to believe me. I distinctly remember my brother, Todd, and my Uncle Rod taking video during the day as my dad took photographs. Dad...if you click on this picture and make it bigger, you will see a video camera in Todd's hand! Is there any hope of ever finding that video footage?
My wedding reception in Eugene was a month after I got married, for various scheduling conflicts (I was teaching school when I got married. I bet that is a little known fact. How many of you knew I taught junior high for five glorious years?! They were nice enough to change my name over my door from Miss Bevans to Mrs. Walker in the middle of the year. Another funny tidbit. I had some students that suddenly became related to me after I was married. After I got married I found out that they were the kids of one of Alan's cousins. What a small world!) We had dancing on a small scale after the open house. Jerry and Bry stole the show!
After putting my family through three wedding receptions (or open houses, whatever you want to call them), I still dragged them to the coast for more wedding pictures. I love the ocean and had always wanted wedding pictures on the beach. So, my family indulged me and my dad took pictures of us. I think they turned out really good. You can see more of them in the slideshow below.

Well, I imagine that is more than anyone ever wanted to know about my wedding, but I bet none of you knew any of that information. If you want to see more pictures of my husband and I together through the years, please watch the short slideshow tribute I put together. One thing I discovered is that we haven't taken very many pictures together since we had kids. I guess we need to think about that more often. My husband asked me why I did not use "our song" for my slideshow. The sad truth is that although the words fit better, the tempo was just all wrong. So sad :( As I was picking out pictures to use in the slideshow, I was bemoaning how much weight I have gained since we got married. Alan looked at me puzzled and said, "you haven't gained that much weight since we were married, have you?" Thank goodness love is blind. Gotta love that man!