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Today is my 18th Wedding Anniversary. Dennis and I were married on April 16, 2006 in Daytona Beach, FL at “Tavern in the Green,” an outdoor venue with a chapel and tavern amongst a huge garden on the intercostal waterway. My Grammie Bim was in attendance wearing her white gloves and pearls, as well as the rest of our families who traveled from near and far to celebrate our union on Easter Sunday.
I met Dennis (then “DJ”) for the first time in 1997 after my parents purchased Ormond Lanes, a bowling center in Ormond Beach, FL that came with an adjacent roller skating rink. I was 14 years old and selling glow sticks during an All-Night-Skate when he walked over to me and asked for my phone number, like a sly fox. While I declined, flirtations continued and he was hired by my mom to work at the rink the following year. Dennis would skate by my sound booth every week with a folded note (because texting didn’t exist) and I would conclude each session with “Because I love you,” by Stevie B (the postman song).
I remember our first date at Denny’s, the classiest of joints where I laughed until soda spewed out of my nostrils. Our childhood experiences could not have been more different. Where he grew up with very little in a trailer filled with 9 people, I grew up in a mansion on the river with yachts and private airplanes. The evolvement of our friendship, however had very little to do with our home lives. When we are together, we are on a different planet. Where we are different, we are also the same.
After dating for 6 years, since the year 2000 and living together since 2002 with several roommates and an awesome nephew whom we adopted, it felt like the right time to tie the knot. We danced to “My best friend,” by Tim McGraw and partied the night away. We have kept each other afloat during family deaths and celebrated endless holidays, and over time we built our own little island that formed over years of ups and downs.
Throughout the years, I have learned a few key things about long term relationships. The first is that no matter what, giving up isn’t the answer. While everyone has disagreements, in the end we know when to push and when to give each other space. While we can both be stubborn and decisive, we are also caring and capable of compromise. We have learned to talk more and give each other the time and support we require to be successful individually. And when it comes to our kids, we are equally responsible every step of the way.
Last Christmas, my mom passed some family jewelry down to me that she no longer wanted and among the boxes was a diamond from the 1800s that was attached to a tie bar with an engraving. Dennis had the diamond reset in an engagement ring and presented it to me asking for a renewal of vows on our 20th anniversary. Meticulous human that he is, Dennis wrapped the box flawlessly with crisp edges and seamless perfection.
Why he feels so comfortable with this free-floating, unconventional artist by his side is beyond me, however I feel lucky every day to be his wife.
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