may 20, 2000

we were married at half past three on a sunny saturday in georgia. harry connick sang "with a wink and a smile" as we twirled around our outdoor dance floor under a canopy of bubbles and well wishes. we had been dating for exactly three years.

we're celebrating seven years of marriage this week. the copper anniversary. let me give you my two cents on the past seven years:

it's been hard. like copper, our marriage has become tarnished by wind and weather. our marriage is not strong, like gold or platinum. it is malleable like copper. there are dings and dents here and there. our arguments travel through our marriage with as much shock and brightness as an electric current traveling along copper wire.

there is a definite patina that has developed on our marriage. we attended three weddings this past year, and at each one, i felt like the old married couple in the corner. [oh, those two? still married, huh?]

we didn't celebrate our anniversary this past sunday, so much as we acknowledged it. i almost didn't blog about it, because i simply felt there was nothing bright and shiny to share. but here it is! through the process of writing this post, i have found this:

In terms of antiques, "Patina is everything that happens to an object over the course of time. The nick in the leg of a table, a scratch on a table top, the loss of moisture in the paint, the crackling of a finish or a glaze in ceramics, the gentle wear patterns on the edge of a plate. All these things add up to create a softer look, subtle color changes, a character. Patina is built from all the effects, natural and man-made, that create a true antique." - Israel Sack

there is beauty yet to be found in our marriage! we may have struggled through each and every day of the past year. it is o.k. we are o.k.

matty, my gift to you on our copper anniversary - my two cents on what the future has yet to hold for us:



we are young and healthy and we are both making important changes in our well-beings;

we have an amazing son and there is still the possibility that one day we will grow our family;

things that are lost may be found again;

i count my lucky pennies that there is always another year ahead, always another anniversary to be celebrated! (i've got my eye on some cool pottery for next year...)

edited to say: don't forget, there IS an spt post below!