Thirty-onederful Years

31 years ago I married my sweetheart and best friend. I can't believe how fast it has gone. Even though there are times when things get tough and stressed; for the most part I would say it has been easy.

This year we are celebrating pretty low key.......
Gary sent me a huge bouquet of roses as he does every year...one rose for every year of marriage, it is a fun tradition. (The bouquet was very heavy and apparently expensive....Gary exclaimed "I will do this until I can't afford to do it anymore."...Hayden got a good laugh at that).

We did lunch at Kneaders...I know not very romantic but they have Parmesan chips so I can't complain.
Gary has Bishopric meeting tonight so we will do more this weekend.

Over all it has been thirty-onederful years. I know the best is yet to come, but we are making the best of everything now.

MCC

WOW.......50 Amazing Years!

Tomorrow we are celebrating my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary....what an accomplishment! We wanted to hold a big shindig for them, to shout it out to the world that they have done the first 50 years and are still in love and happy. They wanted it a bit quieter, just their children and grandchildren to celebrate with them......they won. You usually do when you choose to foot the bill.

Lyle Nelson Cole and Sharolyn Butters were married on June 9th, 1959 in the Slat Lake City Utah LDS Temple. They were married/sealed together for time and all eternity by family friend Harold B. Lee. A garden reception was held that evening at Grant & Eulala Butters' home in Bountiful. Best man - Jay T. Cole, Brides maids - the Darlene Butters Ostlund, Lynette Butters & Diane Butters. Also in the bridal party Parents of the bride, Grant and Eulala Butters and grooms mother Bertha Cole.

They meet at BYU. Dad was moms home teacher......She says he dated all the girls in her apartment then finally got around to dating her. He says that he was saving the best for last.

My whole life dad said that it was Grandma Butters cooking that sealed the marriage deal......and she is a fantastic cook.

The weather was just like it is most early Junes in Utah, always a chance of rain. I asked mom this year if the weather was a problem? She replied 'we didn't know if our reception was going to be indoors or out until about an hour before the reception.'

Dad and Mom have had the ups and downs associated with any marriage, and survived!

Their example of how to give and take and stick it out through it all is amazing....especially in this world where the norm is disposable relationships. They both have expressed that they entered their marriage with the 'this is forever' attitude....that is, you work through it all and are committed to your spouse first and foremost, because your spouse is never going away.

I remember as a kid loving the whole anniversary thing....in fact when I was about 10, I made them a card that has survived all these years..... it was on plain white typing paper, I drew an odd sized bride and groom and a red rose......

I am so glad that I have had a such a wonderful example of what a marriage is supposed to look like inside and out. Mom and Dad never sugar coated it, as kids we got to see and hear it all......amazing considering the era. I knew from them that marriage was work, but that the work is always worth it......and it looked to me that it got easier and better over time......with age I and personal experience I too have learned that really does get easier, and better.

Happy 50th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

MCC

28 years, Happy Anniversary!

28 years ago today Gary & I were married in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. The weather was much the same as it has been all week long here, rainy with a chance of sun. This morning the sky was a clean blue with little puffy clouds, just like my wedding day. The weather reports are forecasting rain this afternoon and evening......just like my wedding day. Different so far from my wedding day is that we have not seen snow.......we still have hours to go. It could happen.

Our wedding reception was a garden reception held in my parents backyard. We had worked hard all spring long on making the yard look fantastic, and it did look great!
We had talked about the option of holding the reception in the house, but common, it's June the weather is always nice. Except for early June 1981 it wasn't. It had rained the whole week before our wedding day. So, when the day dawned so beautifully and the sun seemed to hold till after 2:00pm the decision was made that an outside reception would be OK; and it was for about 1 hour. At 6:00 pm, an hour into the reception the circus party began.....the clouds rolled in and we had a very light sprinkle, but we endured. The sprinkle let up and we stayed put for 15 more minutes. That is when the clouds opened up and the rain really started coming. Quickly we moved the cake, not an easy task, thank heaven I chose a cake that had separated tiers; And we moved 3 food serving tables full of food, flowers etc...into the house. We set up hastily a receiving line in the entry way of the house. It was crowded but okay.
We were no sooner all inside and set up to go when the rain stopped and the sky started to clear. So, being optimistic back outside everything went....what took hours to set up originally took about 10 minutes. Ta-dah!......And 20 minutes later the clouds had rolled in, again, and were now dark and menacing.....the sprinkles started, should we go back inside?....... the wind whipped up making it very cold....the decision was made. So, inside it all went again. Because we had nix the idea of being inside earlier our lovely garden party was now a crazy mess.......
We changed location of the receiving line to make it flow better.....Gary and I were receiving guests in the living room knee deep in wedding gifts. A couple of our friends decided that since there was a piano in the room that they were going to play and sing as back ground music.....they were good just a bit loud...but then everything got loud inside the house. The food: mini french rolls, cheeses, fruit, Sprite-our sparkling drink and wedding cake we served for the whole reception. Outside the food was served at separate serving stations buy friends dressed as chef's and maids. We did this so our guests could eat what they liked. Inside we had no room for all of this stuff so the food was all piled on to little plates, and handed too our guest by I don't know who.........Because we were going to be outside we allowed the kitchen to be used instead of the garage for food prep and clean up. Now that we were inside this was not a good idea. Outside we had set up a few chairs and a couple of tables for the guest to eat on. We planned on the majority of our guests standing and mingling while eating.....now inside they were mingling in the kitchen with the kitchen help and standing on top of each other........ There was no room, people were on top of people, on top of wedding gifts,on top of food prep and clean up on top of you name it. Any plan that had been made for being inside had long ago gone out the window. If you didn't laugh you would have cried. We were wingin' it, with smile on our faces......Family and friends jumped in to help anywhere they could and they also helped to keep the party light. The night was a crazy one, but in the end and through the years it has also been a memorable one.

In 28 years we have found our marriage and family in a trouble or two, and in crazy circumstances. But we have managed through it all and survived, no sweat. If you were there that first night I think you had a good look at how the Gary & Marcie Call marriage and family would manage through this crazy life.........hey, we are all still pretty good at wingin' it and smiling!
It's been a great life together so far!
I Love You Gary!
MCC