Reader, I Married Him

I would love to post a picture, but I promised the former Sig-O, now designated “Spouse,” that he had anonymity on this blog.  So picture someone who looks like a mountain man from Jeremiah Johnson, and me, in blue, standing in front of a small mural of a Tuscan landscape while a county clerk reads us our vows. 

We tied the knot on Friday, March 25, 2011. 

The Spouse and I started off treating this as a purely civil/fiscal function.  In order for him to be able to collect any part of my pension should I pre-decease him, we have to have been married 12 months prior to my retirement.  I didn’t think it was going to matter much, but as the date got closer I realized I had more feelings about it than I thought.  

We had four friends there, including L from Hawaii, who was scheduled to come in anyway to celebrate grandson Liam’s 2^nd birthday.  Kathleen joined us and Greg and Mary were our witnesses.  This was the perfect group; sentimental and completely irreverent.  Julie, our young clerk, was efficient, pleasant, cheerful and unflappable.  If nshe can handle us, that girl’s got a future. 

To my surprise, we got gifts!  Kathleen bought us tickets to the Scottish fiddlers in May, and L provided a goodie basket with champagne, chocolate, candles, champagne flutes, and biscotti.  My resourceful secretary had noted a mysterious appointment on my calendar for Friday (I took the day off), made a Sherlock-Holmesian deduction, and slipped over the day before to leave a bouquet of lovely flowers for me. 

No Elvis impersonators, no Fancy Clergyman twittering “Mawwiage, mawwaige. . .”  Just us and good friends. 

After the ceremony, we went out to breakfast and got caught up on things.  Spouse and I came home.  We went for a walk, then I did dishes and he did laundry, and we spent most of the day reading.  Ah, the adventure of marriage!