"Came but for friendship, and took away love."

7 years ago today, I walked down the aisle of West Hills Presbyterian Church with my father to Canon in D playing from the church organ. Brad was waiting at the front of the church with his brother, Bill, the minister who would marry us. It's one of my favorite memories, and I will never forget that moment.

It's cliche, but it's true, that it was the happiest day of my life up to that point. The smile that was glued on my face all day long was not a fake smile for the camera; I was genuinely that happy.

I did not have the typical wedding jitters that some people talk about. I felt as calm and as cool as any bride could possibly be on her wedding day. Well, as cool as you can be when it's 90-some degrees and humid outside. There's not been a single moment in the past 7 years when I have questioned or doubted the vows I took on my wedding day.

Our wedding invitations read, "Came but for friendship, and took away love," and that pretty much sums up our marriage, I think. Every day I feel blessed to be married to my best friend, who I just happen to be madly in love with.

I've attached some really poor quality pictures of the happiest day of my life. I'm embarrassed to say that my wedding album isn't much to see at all. I don't have any of these pictures on my computer, so what you're looking at are cell phone shots of photos from a half-completed wedding album. I smile to myself when people who are planning their wedding insist on hiring the fanciest and most expensive photographer they can find because they think that somehow it's those photos that capture and keep the memories of the day. I actually can not remember the last time I pulled out my dusty box of wedding photos, but there's not a moment of that day that isn't etched into my memory as clearly as though it was yesterday.

 

 

The last picture is one of us taken in the same room in the same church where I got ready for our wedding 5 years and 1 week later, on Brad's sister's wedding day. We loved standing in her wedding, not only because we love her and wanted to be a part of her special day, but also because it brought back some wonderful memories for us.

Happy Anniversary to my husband and my best friend. I know we have many, many more happy anniversaries ahead of us.