It was Twenty Years Ago Today

If the first thing that popped into your head was- Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play, then you’re my kind of people, but that’s not the answer we’re looking for. No, in fact, it was twenty years ago today that my husband and I got married in a picturesque wedding chapel nestled deep in the Ozarks hill of Arkansas. A more lovely spot could not be found in all of God’s green earth. We chose Arkansas for a couple a reasons. First was proximity for my family. Most of my family was living in and around the Arkansas/Oklahoma area. My dad was in bad health at the time and our concern was to make things as easy as we could. The next reason was for the convenience.  Arkansas and Nevada are (were- after all that was 20 years ago) the only two states where there was no waiting period to get a marriage license. I know, weird, right? That’s what I thought twenty years ago.  Our first idea was to go to do the whole Vegas Elvis thing but we tabled that. (Maybe someday) I even thought of finding a Native American Tribe somewhere and getting all dressed up in the feathers and stuff.....Yeah, I know, but at the time it sounded fun. Rational minds prevailed....eventually.

We went to the courthouse the day before to get our license where the clerk had to ask us a few questions to fill out the paperwork. She ask for legal names and birth dates, all that normal stuff, then she ask about occupation. Without even skipping a beat, my husband pipes up, “Musician!” She look at me and I said, “Artist!” She stared for a moment, lowered her head and mumbled something about this never lasting and handed us our paperwork. We just laughed it off. I’m sure they thought we were just an other couple of crazy people that couldn’t find the way to Vegas. It was the 90's. My husbands hair was down to his elbows and mine was permed so big I’d have given Rosana Rosanadana a run for her money. What did we care? Neither one of us were kids, both over 30, old enough to know better. We packed up the truck, and head off to get hitched. Best decision I’ve ever made.  I can’t believe it’s been twenty years. That’s like a life time. It’s like a day.  So many memories, so many laughs, so many tears, heart aches, pains, joys ...I would not trade a one of them. To my husband - 143.