Friday, August 26, 2011

15

This post was written on our actual anniversary - August 24th.

Dear Chick and Pea,

Fifteen years ago, I married your father on one of the most beautiful August afternoons I've ever seen.  All of our family and friends were there to help us celebrate and it was such a wonderful and love-filled wedding.
Three years earlier, on a beautiful May afternoon, I saw two boys from the living room window of my parents' home (your Daddy and his friend who lived on our street) playing catch with a football.  I had just turned 20 years old and was home from McGill for the summer. I grabbed my father's newspaper and sat out on the front steps hoping one of the boys would come over to talk to me.  That boy was not your father, but the boy who lived on our street. Sure enough, S. came over to talk to me and asked me to go to a party with him.  Sure, your Daddy was cute, but he wasn't on my radar at all.
So, I went to the party with S. and we picked up your Daddy on the way. Lo and behold, I spent the majority of the time at the party talking with your father and not really clicking with the neighbour.
After some time, your Daddy began to call me and we would set up little dates here and there to get together and get to know each other.  We spent a lot of time biking on paths in a park in our hometown and sitting on the shores of the St. Lawrence River talking.
Off to university that September of 1993, your Daddy would often visit me on the weekends in Montreal or I would take the train to our hometown to see him.  We fell in love in Montreal and, to this day, it is our most favorite city in the world because it holds so many sweet memories for us. If you ever get the chance to visit, please make sure you walk down Prince Arthur Street and have dinner at one of the "Bring Your Own Wine" restaurants when you get to the promenade section. Of course, you must buy your wine at the Depanneur (and it cannot be worth more than $8) in order to fully experience what we did during our early courtship. 
Over the next three years, we fell deeper in love and a few difficult life circumstances really brought us that much closer together.  It's in the most difficult of time that you either come together or fall apart. Thankfully, these circumstances only strengthened our bond.
On September 2, 1995, Daddy's brother (Uncle Mitch) asked Mommy to help him shop for a gift for his girlfriend.  However, instead of driving to the mall, Uncle Mitch drove me to the site of the park in which Daddy and I had spent so much time getting to know each other.  There, with a picnic basket full of my favorite foods, stood Daddy.  I walked over to him and he dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. Less than a year later, we were married.
During the first four years of our marriage, we moved far away from our hometown to be closer to Uncle John, we both settled nicely into our careers and we built our first home (the home in which I write to you tonight).  In October of 2000, we decided to start a family.  Little did we know that it would be almost ten years later until we would realize our dream of having a family. 

Then came you.  Beautiful, wonderful, magical you. 

My love for your Daddy grew even more when you both arrived one summer morning in 2009 and continues to grow as I see how much he loves you, how much he protects you and how much fun he has when he's with you. 

Your Mama did well when she chose your father.  I can only hope that each of you chooses a mate who is as loyal, as hard working, as honest, and as loving as your father.  I expect nothing less from each of you.

8 comments:

  1. Beautiful!

    Happy 15th to an incredible couple!

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  2. I hope each of them has a love story to mirror yours.

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  3. Okay lady you made me cry again. You need to stop that.

    Just beautiful. Happy anniversary to one of our favourite couples.

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  4. As usual, your words are beautiful as is your story. Happy anniversary to you both.

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  5. what a beautiful story! Happy Anniversary.

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  6. Happy Anniversary!

    The beginning of my story with DH also begins with him eyeing my friend and liking me better. You and he both clearly made the right choice! :)

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  7. It was a magical unforgetable day for both of us. I love that you wrote down this story so the kayaks will always know "the beginning".

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  8. Such beautiful words of love and devotion. Happy Anniversary to an amazing couple!

    Keep smilin!

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