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As of today, Seth and I have been married for twenty nine years.

I hadn't planned to mention the anniversary here - I usually don't - but then I found this envelope during yesterday's big search and scan operation.

I flipped through the photos and thought, as I so often do, "This feels like a blog post."

It is, in fact, a funny story. 

Seth and I had been engaged for a while, but wedding planning was not our forte. We didn't have a vision - or  the funds - for what we wanted to do, so we kept putting it off further and further into the future.

Then one day, Seth went to the DMV to renew his car registration. He came back with an application for a marriage license.

"Jennifer! Jennifer!" he called excitedly as he walked through the front door. "If we fill this out today, we have thirty days to tie the knot. Will you elope with me?"

I didn't need a lot of convincing. We signed and filed the papers and started planning a no-fuss, just-us, courthouse ceremony.

Then Seth told his parents. 

Immediately, they said, "We're coming."

Of course, then I had to tell my parents, who also said, "We're coming."

After that, the floodgates were open. Siblings and friends were told. More travel plans were made.

And just like that, we were back to wedding planning, but now on a ridiculously tight timeframe. It was chaos, but also it worked out just fine.

We said our vows at the Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee. The officiating judge told Seth he needed to salute me every day. 

That has not happened.

After, we had a small reception at the nearby Convention Center.

Despite everything, it was a proper reception with flowers, cake and lots of drinks.

There were also a surprising amount of gifts.

My mom's co-worker, Jun - who I never met - gave us a pair of Chinese horses. If you've been to my house, you've probably seen them. They live on the high shelf in my kitchen.

This was the only time our parents ever met. Our fathers - both named Tom - got along fine. Our mothers - Jeanne and Chloe Jean - didn't like each other.

The other guests included my sister, Erin, 

my best friend, Trisha,

Seth's brother, Jason and his then-wife, Cindy, and our Memphis friends, Warren and Shannon Perry.

Warren died in 2019. I still think of him often.

Of course, I think of my Dad, too. 

And Seth's mom.

It wasn't the most conventional wedding, but clearly it worked for us. 

It's been twenty nine years of mountain bikes, dogs, horses, birds, rats, fish, model horses, apartments, duplexes, houses, so many cars, one motorcylcle and thousands of blog posts. Here's looking forward to whatever comes next!