5 Years

Five years ago on this very day, it was rainy.

The sky was gray, the ground was wet, but Spring was in the air. Trees were budding, flowers were blooming and a relationship that started nearly 15 years earlier in elementary school was about to become formally celebrated by family and friends.

So many details from our wedding day are still fresh in our memory. I remember Kelli walking barefoot down the dusty stairs from a photo shoot in the church balcony. I remember her carrying a can of Pepsi high in the air between shots, so as not to spill any on her beautiful white dress. I remember Marty trying to eat the coffee beans out of his corsage and I remember Melanie (a little under the influence) trying to fulfill any leftover Bachelor Party fantasies I may have had. (I had none.)

Kelli remembers the way I held her hand after the ceremony while I politely shooed the second dove out of its cage and soaring into the sky. She remembers kissing me twice in front of the crowd, just to make sure we got the kiss right! She remembers Michelle tripping up the stairs and the way the guys surrounded her and sang to her, Tom Cruise style ("You've Lost That Loving Feeling") on the dance floor.

We both remember how the rain stopped and the clouds parted and the sun shone down on St. John as we were pronounced husband and wife.

And five years later, as we begin our journey as a family with Charly, we remember how much we loved each other that day and do our best to share that love with her today.