50 Years Together!

Today, March 29th, 2019, is our 50th Wedding Anniversary!

We were married on a Saturday afternoon in the Presbyterian Church in Puyallup. 

The Puyallup Valley was know for its daffodil fields and its Daffodil Festival, and so, of course, daffodils played an important part in our wedding. My bride's maids, who were all my sisters, wore daffodil yellow and carried bouquets of daffodils. 

Tom and I were teaching across the hall from each other at Mount View Elementary School in the Highline School District. We announced our engagement right before Christmas break, a wild day for sure, and got busy planning our wedding when our break was extended by a a huge snow storm that left school closed for days. We set the date for the Saturday at the beginning of our Spring break. As young teachers we didn't have much money, but we managed to pay for most of our own wedding.

My wedding gown cost $50, on sale off the rack at Nordstroms, including alterations. The veil cost more than the dress.

Our attendants were all family members. My sister Laurie was matron of honor and Tom's brother Dave was best man. My two brothers, Don, far left, and Henry, second from the right,  and Tom's cousins Tommy and Danny, were groom's men and ushers. My sisters are, left to right, Betty Jo, Laurie, and Ilene. 

We were all so young then, including our parents. They, and my little sister Betty Jo, are all gone now. 

Our cake was cutting edge for the times, chocolate, with fresh flowers for a topper. 

Tom was teaching 5th grade and I taught 4th grade. Some of his students had been in my class the year before. We were both well loved by most of the kids, and we invited our classes to the wedding. Parents arranged car pooling for all the kids who wanted to go. There were a bunch, including this adoring gaggle of girls. 

Our reception was held at the church: cake, coffee, punch, mints, the usual church wedding reception in those days when we didn't feel the need for a huge party and a sit down dinner. It was all arranged by Tom's mother, who organized the church ladies.

After the reception, family members were invited back to Tom's parents' house for visiting and lots more food. That was all kind of a blur for me. Tom and I opened gifts.

Finally we were able to escape. We spent our first night in our rented house near where we worked, and then the next morning we drove to the old rustic cabin on Whidbey Island for our honeymoon. We had very little money, but all it cost us was the ferry fare and groceries for doing our own cooking. 

We settled into married life rather easily. We were good friends before we were lovers. We remain best friends today, and the love, honor, and cherish vow is holding strong. We feel very fortunate to "have and to hold" each other. 

We are celebrating our actual anniversary modestly, the usual breakfast with teacher friends in the morning, but there will be cake!, and dinner with Jan and the kids in the evening, before we leave for a few days at the Whidbey Island cabin, now new and improved. 

We are delaying our big anniversary celebration until July, when we will host a garden party, and include celebrating my 75th birthday as well as the birthdays of some of those siblings you saw in the wedding party. July is a big birthday month for our family.