♥ Our Wedding

This picture is, of course from July 3, 1985 in Springfield TN at a place called The Wedding Chapel. I found out this year that my cousin Vickie and her husband Lyle were married at the same place by the same man Judge Earl Swann just 2 years before. I knew my secretary in TN when I was a nurse manager at Baptist was married there by the same man just a couple years after us. After we drove all the way there, the clerk told us it would have been cheaper to get married in Bowling Green than to go all the way there. I told her I hate to have blood drawn and at that time I believe KY still required blood testing. It was stopped within a few months of us getting married in KY. TN did not require the test. We had all these plans, and I had my dress, invitations picked out ready to order and we decided to go there instead. I took my dress back. They didn't ask any questions, just refunded my money, it had been shortened about 2 inches and they still took it back! We went to TN that morning, drove through Russellville to Springfield. There was a Sonic on the way, we stopped there for lunch. After we got married, we came back to Bowling Green, I had a trailer that was 3 bedroom, one bath. It was our first home. That night we went out to supper at Bonanza Steak House. Then there were fireworks at Greenwood Mall for the 4th of July. They had moved them to the Mall for a couple of years back then, then they moved to WKU. We were poor, couldn't afford to go anywhere. I took a weeks vacation and we just stayed in Bowling Green. We had a cookout at my brother's house with a home made sheet cake on July 4th.

I believe it was in August of that year that Rick's grandmother Sanders passed away. She had been in a nursing home, unaware of her surroundings for some time. When we got home from the funeral, I ate a bowl of chili and a peanut butter sandwich. Oh, the pain! I had a gall bladder attack from you know where! It hurt bad! It was almost 2 years later when I had gall bladder surgery.

Our first years were difficult sometimes, he was trying, but not quite hard enough. He was having trouble holding a job at that time. I was the only one working. It wasn't long, though, that GM called and he got on at the Corvette plant. Then when the 2nd shift was shut down, he was laid off. I have already posted about moving to Massachusetts previously. Once, before Valarie was born, it was still a whole week away to payday. All we had in the house was a couple of potatoes and some chicken broth cubes and a little onion. I decided to make potato soup. Well, that soup was almost done and Rick decided it needed pepper. Instead of putting it in his own bowl, he put it in the soup. I told him it was enough, but he didn't listen. He put so much pepper in the soup that neither of us could eat it. I was so pregnant and so very hungry! We had to give in and go spend a few days with my parents to be able to eat! He did love me though, and sometimes when I would be mad at him I would remind him of the potato soup and pepper. He would say I never let anything go! I wasn't holding a grudge, I was just reminding him he was not always right!

I loved him from the very first time I met him in my living room that Saturday night in October 1984. My life changed forever! And for the better! He was my soul mate. I will always love him forever and ever.