My husband is old. I am getting
old. Hence, we don’t have many friends getting married these days. Our time has
passed. Please refrain from sending sympathy our way because I have found a
remedy for our situation brought about by old age…get younger friends. It
happens that my brother and sister-in-love are the best vessel for sneaking
into matrimonial celebrations of any kind. We will attend a total of 3 parties
weddings this year for people we know simply because my brother and his wife
are mutual friends. Disclaimer: I do send a gift as compensation for our night
out.
You
might picture your ordinary wedding crasher as one who might “lay low” or
attempt to “blend into the background”, but Ole Jus and I are anything but
ordinary. We spend these evenings eating, drinking, being merry and celebrating
the couple. We dance, we meet the parents, we photo bomb, we collect party
favors and, most recently, we give wisdom on the Go Pro(that was possibly not
Ole Jus on the Go Pro but Yours Truly).
The
most recent wedding we attended I was pleasantly surprise to hear that not only
the bride, but the groom as well are proud supporters and regular readers of
the best blog around (mine). They asked
if I was going to blog about the occasion…well of course!
Each
time I sit in the pew or in a chair outdoors, I watch as these two people stand
before family and friends and commit their lives to one another. I have yet to
actually act on my impulse, but I seem to find myself wanting to hit the pause
button, walk up to the altar and look the bride and groom in the eye and say,
“this marriage thing is REALLY hard…are you sure you’re up for it?” As romantic
and dreamy these weddings are, I know life isn’t like that. I’ve been there,
done that. Marriage is hard and as unfortunate
as it is half of the people who marry this year are likely not to make it til
death do them part. I get it. There are days when I wanted to instigate the
death do us part on Ole Jus…but I didn’t(probably because I didn’t want my 15
minutes of fame to be set in a courtroom) and we made it through…by the grace
of God and for no other reason than HIM.
I know
of a couple who divorced early on in their marriage when their 3 kids were
young. 20 years later they are still friends and would tell you this, “I know
if we could have stuck it out just ONE MORE YEAR we would have made it last.”
So here
is my piece of advice in addition to every bit of nonsense I left on the Go
Pro…when you think you cannot possibly be married to that butthole(unisex term)
for another day…wait, because this could be that one year. The 3rd
year, the 7th year, whatever year that will be the toughest on the
both of you…the year that will only be a blimp in the span of a lifetime that
you committed to spend together. You can’t give up. What if you could’ve made
it through that one bad day, month, year or in my case more like 2 and a half
years? I came out on the other side
knowing that marriage is HARD, but if you wait it out it can be better than
ever before. It’s hard but you can do it…don’t give up…I watched you promise
and I’m holding you to it.
Katie & Billy Kasie & Dustin
Cameron & Andy
I’d like to congratulate the always
incredible Kasie and Dustin Wilkinson and the ever so enjoyable Katie and Billy
Storrs on their weddings earlier this year.
Ole Jus and I look forward to attending the kickoff for a lifetime of (mostly)
wedded bliss for the one and only, constantly entertaining, Cameron and Dr.
Andy Klepac. All of you may want to write this stuff down and thank me later…FROM
THIS SIDE OF THIRTY.
Who's next?!?!
