. . . around first light, while everyone else slept off their over-indulgences from the previous night's festivities, a couple of giggling girls shoved a few necessities into a couple of overnight bags and pointed their car in the direction of the nearest beach. Along the highway they sang songs, took photos, discussed all their hopes and dreams, ingested large quantities of junk food, and threw all their cares into the wind.
As they neared their destination, someone mentioned that there were no flowers. No problem! They stopped off at a Kroger and picked up a dozen yellow grocery store roses and a scrap of blue ribbon and made a quickie bouquet from eleven of them and an even quicker boutonniere from the snapped-off-bloom of the last one. It was so silly, crafty, and just plain fun! Luckily, one of those giggling girls always has a safety pin at her immediate disposal.
When they reached their beach front hotel room, they tossed their bag on the bed, kicked off their shoes, and ran to wiggle their toes in the luxurious sand. It was a little chilly, but still hypnotic. The beach has always had that alluring draw. There were only a few precious moments to spare before heading to the Chapel. Eventually, that afternoon, the two girls held hands and giggled through the chat with the Reverend, wishing he'd just get on with it already.
Finally with nerves tingling, hands sweating, hearts beating, spray from the beach at their backs, and the sound of the waves pounding in their ears . . . vows were exchanged. The ceremony was quickly followed by a phone call to a certain Baby Boy to let him know that we were all officially a family now. It happened so fast, it's all a blur, although we'll never forget 01/01/01. Our favorite day in the whole wide world.
So that's why in this house, we refer to New Year's Day as
Until next time . . .
