Why I Married Bob...Again.

There were several practical reasons to legally perform our marriage vows again. There were even a few romantic reasons to have a renewal ceremony. But that is not why we chose to stand before God and our family and friends and make our promises to one another. Again. In truth, we did not CHOOSE to do it all over again. God did.

We found our original Marriage License in an obscure scrapbook tucked away in the bowels of my closet. Four days before our second Wedding.

We didn't need to get hitched after all.

But we did. God knew we did.

Bob and I needed to watch our first wedding on a poorly shot video. And observe ourselves making our promises seventeen years ago. And cry. We were so young.

We needed to listen to all "our" songs and remember the one that was playing on the radio the night we met. And laugh. We were so young.

We needed to dig out our first vows from storage and say them aloud. And pray. Please God, make them true.

We needed to go through 24 years worth of photos to make a slide show of our growing family. It didn't matter that most of the guests at our second wedding would not watch it. It wasn't for them after all.

We did the whole Renewal Ceremony entirely for Bob and me--for the health and preservation and protection and renewal and restoral and ...of our marriage. He accomplished so much in those two hours. And God knows we needed it all.

I needed my beloved to pursue me again. To bend his knee and ask for my hand all over again.

He needed me to be excited about spending the rest of our days together. To stand before God and vow that he is and always will be the only one for me.

We needed to cry, remember, laugh, and pray together all over again.

I was not a blushing bride this time around.

Bob was not a love struck and naive bridegroom.

Our 17 years together have held sorrow and tears, laughter and joy, triumph and defeat, darkness and light. And God knew that we needed to acknowledge, all over again, that He brought us together, He has kept us together, and in Him alone, we can count on staying together.

God knew I needed to say these words again to my groom, the father of my children, my partner, companion, my better-half, best friend, my beloved:

"Bob, once before I pledged my love and commitment to you. I promised to love you, honor you, obey you, comfort and keep you. I pledged to be by your side in sickness and in health, in times of want and times of plenty, for better or worse. We have shared all those times—sorrow and joy, triumph and defeat. You have been my side as we created a family, a home, a life together. This past year has tested the vows we made when we were young. I haven’t always keep my promises. But God’s Grace has prevailed. There is still no place I’d rather be than in your arms. YOU complete ME. Today, at the beginning of my 18th year as your wife, before God, I renew my vows to you, promising my eternal love and devotion. I take you today, for all my days, as my beloved husband."

Bottomline: We didn't have this fancy second wedding to celebrate all that Bob and I have done right in our years together. We can take no credit for anything good in our marriage, our family, our selves. It is by God's Grace alone that we celebrated our marriage last week. God knew all along.  

Wedding No. 2

My sweet friend April took photos at our recent Wedding or Renewal of our Vows or 17th Anniversary or whatever you want to call it. On April 3, 2010, the beautiful ceremony was held in the Hubbs lovely back yard beneath a vine covered arch. Nearly a hundred of our dear friends and family surrounded us in celebration and love. It was an incredible day! I will tell the story about why this particular day needed to happen again, and why it was ordained by God to be repeated. But for now I offer you my friend's photos.

Since we could not afford our album for Wedding No. 1, these images are especially precious to me. They are raw and uncut--no photo shop to make me lighter or wrinkle-free or sunkissed with highlights in my hair--but they make me smile anyway! Thanks again , April,  for capturing our happy day for us!

Preacher Man Marcelo Officiated

At the Altar. Again.

Renewing our covenant to one another.

Making vows to our children--

Promising to keep Christ the center of our lives, our marriage, our family, our hearts.

                                                                Praying for our family.

A Kiss started it all over 22 years ago!

Bob's good friend Brian offers a blessing.

A Toast--Given by the Best Man--My Daddy!

A Made-With-Love Cake

(Click on any image to enlarge it.)

Honeymoon Photos

A random (because I could not get Blogger to obey me!) photo collage of our honeymoon pictures:

April 4-7, 2010

Bob in front of our favorite Dutch bakery in Solvang, CA on the way to SF. Oh ! the creme puffs!

Bob on his first cable car ride on Hyde Street on the way to Fisherman's Wharf.

My Father wrapped my birthday in rolling green hills and bouquets of flowers. Everything was in bloom!

My 39th Birthday in San Francisco, April 6, 2010

                                                How could we pass up a drive along Pebble Beach--17 miles of gorgeous California Coastline.

Heaven on earth for a beach lover!                                                

                                                          Honeymooners in Carmel 2010

The exact spot we stopped at on our first "honeymoon" on our way back to Chico State at the end of Spring Break. Newlyweds 17 years ago--Still in love today. AWWWH! I'm such a sap!

I love this man! He still floats my boat.

   

Oh Glory!

 Highway 1 has only a few gas stations on the stretch from Big Sur to Cambria.

We almost didn't make it to one. Almost.

They do amazing stuff with bread these days!

We had our clam chowder in a bread bowl but we could have eaten in out of a teddy bear belly?

                                                                                                                               

A racy red Convertible looks good on Bob!

The view of the Golden Gate without a roof!

That's our rented convertible Mustang's shiny red hood in the foreground of this photo.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.

What is a Stoat?

THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO MY FAVORITE ANIMAL LOVING FRIEND, ENO.

When she heard the first part of this story, she chastised me for not capturing the "exotic pet" and bringing it to her. Here's to you Friend!

So if you know me even just a little bit, then you acknowledge that stuff happens to me. Weird stuff. I don't go looking for it. Honestly. I'm just a magnet for strange occurrences. Which isn't all bad. I love a good story and God indulges that passion by giving me plenty of my own.

If you have been my friend at all, then I am sure you have heard the story about this:

The Frilled Lizard (yes, sometimes referred to as a frilled DRAGON!) that tried to eat my daughters while I napped. Yes, it was inside my house. Yes, it puffed out its weird face and hissed at me. Yes, I had my teenage neighbor son whack it with a shovel and kill it. And cut off its slithering tail. Yes, I had nightmares for months.

Yes, animals WERE absolutely harmed in the making of this post!

If we know each other and you are not just a stranger reading this blog, then you have heard this whopper of a tale in great detail with lots of drama (making light of the fact that I LEFT my daughters in the house WITH the dragon while I ran to get the neighbor boy.). Not a shining mothering moment. Did I mention that it is much bigger in real life than the tiny image up top? And it hissed? 

I DID return with a brave knight to slay the dragon. That is some redemption--yes?

Anyway, fast forward 5 or 6 years. Yesterday I was reading aloud on the couch. My "Boy Who Cannot Sit Still" was pacing around the open screen door. He screeched and ran out to the front yard.

"MOOOOOOOM! Did you just see that?" And he was gone.

We jumped up and followed him. He stuttered and ranted about a red furry creature with a long tail with a black tip. He said it was fast! Though we hunted, the rest of us found no proof of a critter in the front yard. We were walking back in the house having a "teachable moment" about being courteous to our siblings and not discounting what they say automatically, saying the "L" word,  and implying by our responses that we think they are crazy.

Just as we stepped back into our living room and Kate was telling everyone she was sure it a cat. And Aidan insisted that it was red and long-torsoed--not like any cat he had seen,  Reilly commented calmly, "Does it look like THAT?" pointing to the animal running across my BACK yard now. It was fast. It did have red fur. The long tail had a black tip. Its belly was white and it had small ears. And...well, it looked like this:

And if you are like me and have never seen a creature like this around the neighborhood (OR IN THE ZOO!?!?!), let me inform you that is called a Stoat. It is a part of the weasel family. I did not know that at the time.

So I called my animal-loving, vet-major, zoology-teaching friend, Eno (see above) and began my hurried description of the animal we were tracking.  By this time our dog Sadie had it cornered.

This time I wasn't going to let Eno down. We would capture it and make her proud!

I sent each kid out with a basket or bucket. While she was google-ing images trying to find one that matched our excited details, Sadie rushed at the cornered creature and it darted right towards us.

Screaming ensued. Leaping and squealing and fleeing in panic.

This is the fearsome creature that darted at us:

We laughed and laughed and laughed when we realized our mistake. Eno was on the phone overhearing our assylum. The only one who didn't find it very amusing was hysterical Peter. Another shining mothering moment! We gave up the hunt after an hour or so. The scared Stoat was hiding out and all seven of us plus a dog weren't going to find it. Thank You, God.

When Eno discovered which animal it was--not a ferret as I first speculated--the kids and I checked it out on wikipedia. Stoat. Good thing that the PREDATORY animal was never captured by my children. When threatened, the stoat "releases a powerful musky (STINKY) scent from the glands in its anus". Nice.

"I've Got the Power"

I keep thinking that someday I will get around to introspectively looking at my life and offering my keen insight here. I will examine the ordinary events of my days and  make some meaningful observations. Some truths that God is sharing with me. Seeing the Big Picture and including that perspective here. Afterall, my favorite bloggers do just that--they share what they think and feel about their lives not just the summary of their moments.

But "someday" isn't today! I have laundry to do. I readily admit that I barely have time to live my life :) let alone analyze it and offer commentary.

So I offer this to you with no deeper insight:

Peter just stepped out of his bath and I was toweling him off and tickling him. I wrapped my arms around his little body and told him that I thought he was going to have small bones like his daddy. He gaped at me, and responded with bulging eyes:

"My Daddy is not small. He's HUUUUUGE!"  (awwwh! a child's perspective!)

I giggled.

"He is strong. So am I. I can take down Samuel while we are wrestling on the trampoline. I have the POWER!"

I listened.

"I have the POWER!".

Okay. I waited for him to explain. Though I confess that I did laugh and was actually eagerly awaiting his answer. Three year olds crack me up!

"I went hiking with Jordan and Stephen and I drank Powerade. So now I have the POWER!"

I am not making any of this stuff up. It would be great if I can make some spiritual application or glean from his wisdom, but I just chuckled instead. And I offer his advice to you:

"You can drink Powerade too."

Just Married

We got re-"married" on our 17th Anniversary-April 3, 2010. The day was amazing. I will tell that story next. But I like to work backwards. I'm weird.

Bob planned our "honeymoon" after hearing me drop hints for two decades.

It was wonderful.

He rented one of these:

And in that racy red sportscar, we drove up the California Coast to the Big City .With this view on our left:

When we arrived in San Francisco, he had chosen this cozy, charming Bed & Breakfast:

It was called "The White Swan Inn-An English Garden Inn". How quaint. Can you say a CALIFORNIA KING bed--all to ourselves? those rad magnifying mirrors (I love THOSE things!), darkening drapes and a dozen pillows! Not to mention the fireplace! And gourmet breakfasts!

He had purchased tickets for two for this:

All five of my senses LOVED it--even Bob enjoyed it. And it's a MUSCIAL :)

Our three days included Fishermen's Wharf, cable cars, a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge (in a CONVERTIBLE!), clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park and Botanical Garden, a Thai Noodle House at 11:30 at night and...well, each other. Bob had acted on every single hint I had ever subtly hinted at. A dream come true!

It was magnificent.

And, technically, we weren't even "real" honeymooners.

But it sure felt like it.

TGIF

We were sitting at the dinner table enjoying family chit chat. Peter had been excused to his room--he was done eating and making dinner-time conversation less than delightful. So he went to his room. The one with the window open on this lovely day. The same room which faces our cul de sac.

In a lull in our family conversation, this is what the rest of us heard:

"Hi neighbor. You have nipples."

Oh no! Dread washed over me! It is Friday night. Mr. Johnny, a recent widower and our QUIET next door neighbor, has his grown grandchildren over for BBQ on Friday nights. A family tradition for him.

Bob raced off to remedy the social faux pas. I wiped the beverage which had squirted from my nose, off my face.

Dad returned with the situation in hand. His ready response:

"Well. He does."

I Heart Easter!

"oh the wonderful cross. oh the wonderful cross.

Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live."

My favorite Easter song for my favorite time of year. Ever since I was a little girl I have LOVED, LOVED , LOVED  Easter, the hope of renewal, rebirth, restoral, redemption! SPRING! Daffodils, hot cross buns,  and windy days! Good Friday is only good because of Sunday! Thank you Jesus for Easter!

My brother Bryan and Me--Easter Sunday 1976