Your Everything - Keith Urban

And on a much happier note, Don and I celebrated 7 years of wedded bliss on Monday.  We didn't buy each other a gift although we both considered anti itch cream / powder!  We went to see Date Night with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey (well, they weren't at the movie with us but that sure woulda been fun!).   It was a fun movie but had a bit too much potty humor for my taste.  I did however love the background story about how when you've been married for a while Date Night is something that becomes as routine as everything else.   Don and I don't get out much but when we do its dinner and maybe a movie if we think we can stay awake through it.   We have our standard restaurants and we aren't brilliant conversationalists when you put work and kids on the forbidden list.  Most times we leave the house by 6 and at 7 we're looking at the dinner check thinking "we can't go home yet... the babysitter will think we're lame!"   So, sometimes we wander around Target or Blockbuster or just drive aimlessly in an attempt to kill at least another hour.  But you know what?  I love just being with him whether we're sitting on the couch watching endless episodes of Law and Order or sitting in a desert watching paint dry... it doesn't matter.  He is My Everything.  He's my cook, my lawn guy, my personal driver, my comedian, my walking music encyclopedia, my dumb joke teller, my prince charming.   He's just a good guy.  And I think at the end of the day that's what every woman wants... just a Good Guy.  Sometimes I sit and think about how blessed I am to have him, even on the days when he calls to say he'll be home late because some last minute problem at work came up or when he comes home grumpy.   He has a twinkle in his eye that I know is just for me.   He loves our girls with a passion and wants to be a better dad even though he's already doing a great job.  He loves God and isn't afraid to say it out loud.   He's just a Good Guy.   We've had 7 years and I can only pray we are blessed with 50 more.   

This was our wedding song.  When it came time to choose one this was the choice we both made without knowing what the other was thinking.  To this day, he's still the "spark that lights me up".    All that I'd been dreaming of and more.

Your Everything - Keith Urban

The first time I looked in your eyes I knew
That I would do anything for you
The first time you touched my face I felt
Like I've never felt with anyone else

I wanna give back what you've givin' to me
And I wanna witness all of your dreams
Now that you've shown me who I really am
I wanna be more then just your man

I wanna be the wind that fills your sails
And be the hand that lifts your veil
And be the moon that moves your tide
The sun coming up in your eyes
Be the wheels that never rust
And be the spark that lights you up
All that you've been dreaming of and more
So much more, I wanna be your everything...

When you wake up, I'll be the first thing you see
And when it gets dark you can reach out for me
I'll cherish your words and I'll finish your thoughts
And I'll be your compass baby, when you get lost

I wanna be the wind that fills your sails
And be the hand that lifts your veil
And be the moon that moves your tide
The sun coming up in your eyes
Be the wheels that never rust
And be the spark that lights you up
All that you've been dreaming of and more
So much more, I wanna be your everything...

Be the wheels that never rust
And be the spark that lights you up
All that you've been dreaming of and more
So much more, I wanna be your everything...
I wanna be your everything

Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!

This is a confession of a Circus Bride. Yes, I got married in a three ring ceremony. I entered an essay contest on Why I Wanted my Wedding to be the Greatest Show on Earth and to my amazement, I won! In 1991, my former husband and I got married right before a performance at the Mid South Coliseum. He and his best man rode in on elephants and I had a horse drawn carriage. We had 15 clowns and 15 showgirls as our attendants. We had 50 free circus tickets so all of our family and friends could attend. In all there were 3000 people who stood up when the bride (that’s me) rode by. My dad kept telling me to wave and live it up. I felt like true royalty. Little did I know the marriage would be more of a circus than the ceremony was. Oh, and for the record, we were the second non-circus couple to be married under the Big Top. I wish I could show you the video… or the news footage. Yes, we made all three major networks (local newscasts of course).

My parents had married 29 years before to the day. I wore my mom’s dress just as she did… 1963 coture (sp?) flannel lined silk on a 100 degree day. Even if I was hot, I still felt like a princess. And it fit like a glove! After the ceremony was over we got to perform our first act as a married couple – blowing the official circus whistles that started the show, a duty usually left to the Ringmaster. We were seated in the front row and doted on by circus performers for the next three hours. Clowns sat on my lap, showgirls came up and hugged us and a snowcone guy gave us two large red snowcones free of charge (red snowcones are not good for white wedding dresses).

The clowns were my favorite part. They hammed it up just like they are supposed to. When I was walking to the carriage I had to walk past Clown Alley and one of the clowns had his head poking out of the curtain. He saw me coming and yelled “here she comes!” and all the clowns jumped out to great me as one of them strummed Roy Orbison’s Pretty Woman on the guitar. To this day that is still my most vivid memory. The clowns, the showgirls, the elephants…. that’s one way to get your 15 minutes of fame.