Return to the scene of the crime.

It's amazing that one year ago I jumped up on stage (Cowpie Blues Festival 2005) and asked Penny to be my wife.
 

Nice shades.

 

Cowpie 2006.

Grampa, Jane, Molly and Susan.

 

It's hard to believe that we've been married for two months already. It's like the New Year's Eve phenomenon - it seems like it takes forever to get to midnight, then before you know it, it's dawn.

Thanks to Jake for this amazing picture of Penny and Malcolm.

 

The Setting

 

Yesterday was our one-month anniversary. 30 days of marital bliss.

I’ve no doubt that after about a year or so we’ll stop counting the months (like you do with kids). But for the next 11 months, the third day will be another “anniversary,” another excuse to look back (and forward), and to be grateful.

Her glowing hair, my subtle smile.

 

Silhouettes before the setting sun

 

 

 

 

The Natural.

 

The Money Shot. (Thank you Celise!)

 

 

An open letter to our friends and family.

I can't imagine our wedding day being any better. Jim's service, the flowers, food, music, decorations, memorials, ...they were all perfect. But what made it such a great day, the best day of my life to this point (and that's not an exaggeration in the least), was the people. The significance of the day is magnified exponentially for every family member and friend in attendance (whether there in body or spirit.)

I feel so grateful for everyone who came together, collectively traveling tens-of-thousands of miles (from as far away as England), with kids in tow (and all that paraphernalia: car seats, diaper bags, strollers), and bearing gifts to boot. It humbles me.

Not only do I feel a renewed and more powerful sense of commitment toward Penny, I feel it toward everyone in my family, both biological and marital.

When you love someone the last thing you want to do is disappoint them, and for me that has served as motivation. I feel whatever good things I've accomplished over the last 6 years (and throughout my life) is due to the influence of so many good people, but in very large part due to Penny. Everyone who knows her knows their life is better for it. And I think (I hope) I've made her proud. (For all my nuuuuumerous flaws, I must be doing something right. Hell, she married me.)

I feel a similar sense of responsibility toward all the members of my newly (and drastically) extended family. (If our marriage was a novel it might be titled, How To Go From 5 to 105 Family Members in One Second.)

I hope I can make them feel proud to be in my family, as I feel pride in being related to their family.

As I've said before, a million 'thank yous' wouldn't be enough.

Love,

P.R.

Brothers 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s -

 

"...until the end of my life."

Penny and I had talked about the vows, but in all honesty, we didn't really get a workable draft until the Wednesday before the ceremony. We wrote them in the car while driving to Michigan three days before the wedding, listening to one of our favorite CDs. (The song Jessie sang so amazingly at the beginning of the service is on this album.)

After laboring over what "ideas" about marriage and love we wanted to project, we just started talking about the things we want for each other. The rest came naturally, each of us contributing a line or an idea (then one of us would get emotional and start welling up).

We had discussed writing two different vows, but we realized that everything we want to say and do is contained in these two-dozen or so lines. (Inasmuch as a lifetime’s worth of promises can be summed up so concisely.) We read the same vows, made the same promises, simply changing "father" to "mother."

This is the second greatest promise one can make to another human being. (The first, of course, is the unwritten promises you make to your children when you bring them kicking and screaming - seemingly against their will - into the world.)

In my opinion marriage is no mere "contract." That's a legal term and has little relevance to the promises we made to each other. Our future is inextricably entwined because we choose it to be so.

It is truly awesome.

From the time that will henceforth be referred to as BW (Before Wedding)...a picture from the wedding shower.