Twenty one years ago today...

...Bret and I tied the knot. You may look at my kids and say, "Hey, the oldest is only 9. What was with the first twelve years of marriage?" Well, I was a Godless pagan and he was a lapsed Catholic, and since I was not raised to have any warm feelings about children or motherhood (my own mother was divorced and not particularly crazy about motherhood), I didn't think I was suited to it. And my dear husband loved me enough to not pressure me, although I am sure he'd have liked to have kids early on.

In 1996 I became a Catholic, and Bret came back into the Church. We learned NFP, and a strange thing happened: I lost my fear of getting pregnant. And then it finally occurred that I wanted to get pregnant. And then I had Una, and realized that I liked being a mom better than I liked anything else I ever did. And I lamented the lost time and the many little children that might have been born to us had I not been so fearful of motherhood

Anyway, here's the man I married when we were still dating in Munich, Germany, wearing a sweater I knit him to match the gas tank of his beloved BMW motorcycle (his "other girlfriend").
Man, those leather motorcycle pants looked good. And here is a shot of us at the restaurant after our wedding at a non-denominational chapel in Tucson, AZ. Bret is trying to force-feed me a slice of chocolate-mousse cake. Wow. I can't believe I used such a bright shade of blond back then. I don't intend to color my hair again until someone thinks I'm Dominic's granny.Happy 21st Anniversary, sweetie. You are still the very best man for the job. Thank you for everything, especially for loving me so much. I love you, too.