Tag Archives: newlyweds

I thought I loved you then

Yesterday was the epitome of a ‘picture perfect’ day.  Blue skies, sunshine and seventy something.  The kind of day that reminds us to live in the moment.  Close our eyes; feel the cool breeze and the warm sunshine on our face.  Deep breath.  Ahhh…  Perfection.

The groom was all smiles and the bride was absolutely breathtaking… her gown a soft creamy white with delicate jewels and a veil that sparkled in the sunlight.  It was a glorious day for a wedding.

Weddings are magical.  A window into that fresh, warm feeling of new love. Just sitting there in the church, you could feel the happiness, the excitement, the anticipation… I started to reminisce about that day, our day, over twenty-eight years ago.  About to say “I do” to the man who I loved more than anything.  Yes.  There would be hard times, we were warned.  Marriage is a roller coaster.  Ups. Downs.  Some really sharp turns.  Sure.  Life happens.  You learn to hold each other close during the good times, and even closer in the bad.  Yet; as I sat there yesterday, filled with emotion, I realized something very important.  In all of the advice that we received… Everyone had failed to mention one very unexpected consequence of marriage.  When I was waiting to walk down the aisle on our wedding day, I was as happy as you can be without exploding out of your own skin.  Yes.  That happy.  I was absolutely certain that I could never love this man any more than I did at that very moment. 

I was so wrong. 

“I thought I loved you then”.  My thoughts, put to music by Brad Paisley.  Listen with your heart.  If your eyes fill with tears when you hear this song, then I pray that you, my friend, feel blessed as well.  And so I feel a certain sense sense of responsibility to forewarn our newlyweds… This is (if you are so blessed) an unforeseen consequence to a long and happy marriage.  So consider yourself warned.  As for us, this is a marriage that (God willing) still has a long, long way to go.

“What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more; but I’ve said that before.  Now you’re my whole life; now you’re my whole world.  I just can’t believe the way I feel about you, girl.  We’ll look back someday at this moment that we’re in.  And I’ll look at you and say…

and “I thought I loved you then”.   Brad Paisley

big ben

I have to admit that watching the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration over the past couple of days has made me a bit nostalgic…

It seems like a hundred years ago, now; our life in London.  It was 1986 when the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself to these two young, 20-something newlyweds.  The next two years play out in my mind  like a slideshow of beautiful memories, unforgettable friends and extraordinary experiences.  Here we were, two young kids from the midwest.  We were suddenly living in the heart of London, in a small flat (apartment), with a refrigerator that was not much bigger than a small “bar” refrigerator and a washer/dryer “combo”.  (Yep. One contraption takes care of both.  Go figure.) Two of the modes of transportation were a huge underground subway system (“the tube”), or a car (our little white Jetta) with the steering wheel on the right side of the car, that you were, somehow, expected to drive on the left side of the street!  We learned that a “boot” is the trunk of your car, if you need an elevator, you ask for the “lift” and for goodness gracious, if you have to go potty, you need to find the “loo”!!   We fell in love with Indian food, the theatre and the English countryside.  I fell “head-over-heels in love” with “afternoon tea”… the finest tradition on earth, in my ever so humble opinion. I did not, however, fall in love with “pub food”.  Just saying.  We learned that drizzly rain is just that… drizzly rain; and it doesn’t stop anything. When the sun did make an appearance – it was a gift and a glorious celebration.  We learned that no one there cares if it is Thanksgiving back home and that the holidays are a time that you really do miss your family…  We made lots of friends, however.  Good friends; with people from all over the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.  Those friends, along with our many, many experiences, have proven to be truly unforgettable.  There is so much more to share in future posts – but suffice it to say that our time in London was absolutely, positively “splendid”!!  Cheers!

“From the top of the bus she could see the vast bowl of London spreading out to the horizon: splendid shops with mannequins in the window, interesting people and already a much bigger world.”   – Julia Gregson