TODAY IS MY 64th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 07/18/00

Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 07:26:05 EDT
Subject: today is my 64th wedding anniversary

You got a late night posting yesterday and an early morning one today. It is wonderful to start this day by writing about my anniversary and remembering Betty & Paul's (they were also married in July, but two years after ours).

July 18, 1936 ~ so long ago, but it does not seem so. I am remembering all the happiness and wonderful anniversary celebrations over the years.

In our early years, we were just so happy to be married. Maybe we would get a bottle of wine to toast our happiness. In later years, we would head out for a special dinner.

For our 25th annivesary, Missy (Mimmy, Mim) got in cahoots with Jim & Kit Peck and put on a whoop-dee-do surprise party, which she called the wedding reception we never had*. Pete and I were floored. That gal can really put on a party. There was a wedding cake, and Missy and Elsa with big cheeky grins on their faces, and lots and lots of friends. It was lovely.

In our later years, when Pete and I started taking vacations just the two of us, we often planned them so that we would celebrate Our Day on the road. My favorite was an anniversary that we spent in Portland, Maine.

We were on our way to Bailey's Island, right off Bath, ME, and had stopped overnight. In the morning, we ordered breakfast in our room. When the young lady brought it in, Pete and I were sitting at the table by the big windows that looked out at the harbor (bay?), watching the boats and ships threading their way between the islands. As the young lady laid out our breakfast, we told her we were celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary.

"My God!" she said, then apologized. She had just celebrated her 1st.

I looked over at Pete and said, "When you are with the right one, it just gets better and better."

It did and still does. Pete is very much with me. John and Elsa always fuss over me on our anniversary. They invited me out to dinner tonight - wherever I wanted – but I asked instead for the seafood salad from Super Fresh (I love it) and an anniversary shower.

I am back to bed and, hopefully, sweet dreams of my O! Best Beloved, or Own True Love, as Gay always said of Willard (another July anniversary).

Love to you all - Mrs. Raymond Lewis Lockhart, ADPOI

~elm~ 08/**/10 ~ an incredible, literally unbelievable story of its own. Dad’s step-mother was so sure their friends would do mischief to the bride & groom, she insisted they SKIP their own reception! And they agreed! After their cathedral wedding, they waited in on the little bench outside the driveway door, suitcases at their feet, waiting for Norma & Gar to go to the reception (in Germantown!), stay there as hosts, then drive all the way back to take Mom & Dad to their honeymoon location, a charming country inn outside of Doylestown. Small wonder my magical older sister felt they were owed a proper reception on their 25th anniversary!!