This is Hal’s answer when someone asks how long we’ve been married. Funny, huh? But it hasn’t been forever. It’s only been 17 years, as of today: Groundhog’s Day 2008.
Groundhog’s Day 1991, we got married at sunset on our little makeshift dock behind our mobile home on Stock Island. Back before Stock Island was fashionable. Our good friend Cindy Tellone married us. She was a notary; we wrote our vows. None of our families were in attendance, because…
We started dating 25 May 1989. One day, a year and a half later, since we were hardly out of each other’s sight, we decided to get married and get a family going. That’s our M.O. Make a decision, do it with little other planning. Like, "Hey, let’s move to Costa Rica."
Since birthin’ our babies was not an option, we called Sherry, Key West’s adoption fairy. Lucky me, I never had a biological clock. Sherry’d just gotten some friends of ours a great baby. Adoption seemed like just the ticket. Thank God.
At our first meeting, Sherry tells us we can’t really start the process until we were married. No sweat, except… my baby brother was getting married in a HUGE KENTUCKY wedding in five months. The whole state of KY was in a tizzy planning the event. I could hardly pre-empt his thunder by having a wedding first. This meant getting married would have to wait till fall, as would actually applying to adopt.
Waiting, like planning ahead, is not in either of our gene pools. Nor is standing on ceremony. A week later, we eloped to our backyard. Clever Hal picked Groundhog’s Day so it would be easy to remember.
The minute we were married, we called Sherry and signed up. Ten months to the day, Morgan was born. Eight days later he was ours. And thirteen months after that, Ryan waltzed in. I’m here to testify: planning ahead is over-rated.
Sure enough, this morning, when he got up, Hal said, "Happy Anniversary, honey." To my delight, he honest-to-God looked happy about it. Good thing. Forever is a long, looong time.
Happy Anniversary to you both!
17 years! Us too! (Why on earth are we still nursing babies while you’re happily raising practical grown ups?)
Alas, your 17 years started later in your life than my 17 started in mine … and would that I could have had a few more years of good sense under my belt back in ninety one, I would have had the better sense to opt out of ceremony too! How much more fun does your surreptitious backyard elopement sound than my bruhaha!
We’ll raise a glass of agua fria to you both up here in villa fria! Good on ya.
cindy
Happy Anniversary Sally! . . .
Sounds like the whole schmear turned out to be pretty good deal fer youse guys, all in all. What more could you ask for? Well, except maybe for that elusive, winning lotto number…
Cheers!
Paul
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Hi. I enjoy your blog and look forward to it regularly! A few weeks back I was reading your latest and you were looking for some ideas about getting a cash flow going.
I have been here in Costa Rica for 5 years and am a resident and currently live in Moravia.
I assist friends with the Commodity Markets by letting them know which Markets I am concentrating on or am putting my money into. I have been doing this for some years and am succesful. I have a track record that I can show demonstrating my success and would love to assist you as well. This can be done simply at first with one to two thousand dollars for Options and would generate about 1000%profit and normally more. Trades usually take between 4 and 6 months. I would live to get a group together to give us all more bang for the buck.
Any way just an idea.
Chris
Mo and Ryan could not have better parents. You have always been a beautiful family. And I know from your adoption autobiographies that you and Hal have always been great writers. Sherry
Thank you for your good wishes, Erin and Cindy and Paul! Hey, Chris, always willing to talk about the next great idea… I will email you!
Sherry, LOVE hearing from you. You changed our lives – I secretly believe you gave us the BEST babies you ever got aholt of! They are so brilliant, wait till you see them next. Love you, see you in March hopefully, the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.