"Going To Jackson"

"We got married in a blizzard. Colder than a polar bear's snout. We've been talking 'bout Jackson - or anyplace warmer - ever since." (With apologies to Johnny Cash.)
Twenty five years ago this afternoon, Bud and I were married in Waterworks Park in Des Moines. We hadn't allowed for an extreme change in weather when we planned our outdoor wedding. It had been such a nice fall - much like we've been having this month.
That morning began with heavy rain. Then the temperature started dropping and the rain began freezing on roadways and everything else. By afternoon the rain/sleet had changed to snow. But we went ahead with our plans. Luckily the other three people involved agreed to stand in the cold and snow along with us. Well, at least two of them agreed - I don't think I gave my daughter a choice.
The bottom part of the above picture shows Bud with snow all over him as we made our way back to warm cars after the ceremony. The top half is a picture of us taken after we got back to our apartment. (The photo on the wall behind us is my parent's wedding picture.)
We both agree that if we had it to do over again, we would still stand outdoors in the cold. Perhaps that unconventionality of our personalities is what got us to our silver anniversary.

The weather that day was pretty wild all over the country. Hurricane Kate was churning in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and a tornado struck southeast of Peoria, IL.


This picture of us was taken by our grandson five years ago when we celebrated our 20th. I borrowed it from Zach's face book page. He has the photo tagged: "Good old Grandma and Grandpa."
Good old G'Ma R and G'Pa Bud now have nine grandchildren and two great-grandsons. I turned sixty-seven yesterday and Bud will be sixty-five tomorrow. Our years together have had more ups than downs. His positive attitude balances my negativity. His "get 'er done" balances my tendencies to procrastinate. I don't know what I do for him -except hope we have many more anniversaries to share.