Our wedding anniversary

Today the lovely lady Jane and I celebrate 24 years of marriage. I remember waking up on a couch on this date in 1983; It was a rainy day for the most part, but cleared off later that night; My mom talked me into letting my sister trim my hair; I had a huge mustache... and me lady was simply STUNNING (and still is). The ceremony itself was standing room only. I can't say that I was ever particularly aware of anything that took place, but I do recall that when we walked down the aisle to exit there were people standing on the stairs and in the foyer - so there was no place for us to go. We left the church in our old brown '71 Chevy Malibu/Chevelle (four door). The reception was also pretty packed. We had a live band (everybody hired live bands back then - and should still!). The only person I remember was the drummer - Mark Lee - whom I had worked with one summer. A friend from college - Bill Zimmerman - played 'Southern Cross' by CSN for us on guitar. We spent the night at a hotel in nearby Princeton, IL, and departed for a honeymoon at Kentucky Lake the next morning. The one thing I'll never forget about our honeymoon is when we took a horse ride. They'd had a lot of rain, and these horses just followed the same trail every time. The trail was flooded, and sure enough, we went into the water to the point that the horses were SWIMMING. We were soaked from the waist down, and I only had one pair of shoes with me.

According to this site the customary gift for the 24th anniversary is musical instruments. So it's only fitting that our gift to one another is a weekend trip in June to Nashvegas to see one of our favorite old bands Jason & the Scorchers.

Some interesting tidbits on this day in history:

• Top Songs were: Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler; All Night Long by Lionel Richie; Flashdance by Irene Cara; Billie Jean & Beat It by Michael Jackson; Every Breath You Take by The Police; and Say, Say, Say by Paul McCartney.
• Best Picture was Terms of Endearment (never saw it).
• On TV: Hill Street Blues, Family Ties, Remington Steele, Magnum PI, Knight Rider, Dallas, Cheers, Cagney & Lacey, and Taxi.
• Hot Toys: Cabbage Patch Kids, and Nintendo Entertainment Systems.
• President - Ronald Reagan; Vice-President - George Bush
• A gallon of gas was $1.23, and minimum wage was $3.35/hr. (which was how much I was making).

It's been quite a ride, dear... but I wouldn't trade it for anything. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I love you.