Thirty Six Years and Still Ticking!!

Thirty six years ago on August 3rd, 1971, Michael and I were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. It was a misty summer morning. The temple had been closed for extensive renovations and had just opened to a record number of couples who had been waiting all summer to get married. The temple was very busy and bustling. Michael was awake all night before wondering if the day would really come as we had been engaged since January. He picked me up very early at my parents new home in Bountiful and our families followed us there in separate cars. I first took out my endowments that morning surrounded by our family and friends. When we were finally sealed everyone was in white in the beautiful gold and white sealing room except our bishop who came from work in a black suit just for the ceremony!

We were married by Selvoy Boyer, who was later the temple president. He shook his finger at Michael and told him to make sure he took care of me. I loved everything about the temple. I was in such a bridal daze that I didn't even think it was odd that there was scaffolding in the Celestial Room. The room was so beautiful that I didn't notice that there was evidence that craftsmen were still putting the finishing touches on the gold leafing. Gold leaves were indeed falling from the ceiling and my aunt Bettie, from Texas, caught one in midair and put it in her pocket for her mutual class to see back in Houston.

We had a magnificent wedding breakfast at the "Roof" at Hotel Utah. We also spent our first night there in a room overlooking the temple. That evening we had our reception at my parents new home. My dad was still finishing the landscaping and an outdoor seating area when the first guests arrived! My bridesmaids were my sisters and Julie, all dressed in matching peach dresses and a first and maybe a last, the guys were dressed in brown tuxes! Everything we did was unique for the day--my oval diamond, my engraved handwritten invitations, Michael's onyx and diamond ring, the flower wristlets for the bridesmaids, my cake decorated with sugared fruit, our informal wedding line, our thank you notes with our pictures on them, etc. These things had not really been done before and we really were ahead of our time in some ways. We celebrated our honeymoon in Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and Monterey. The first meal I served Michael when we returned was the leftover ribbon sandwiches (totally common for the day) from our wedding reception that my mother had frozen. He only let me do that one night! I thought we had to eat them until they were gone because I didn't dare spend any money. I learned how to cook and I now know how to spend money.

Thirty six years later, we still go on dates every week and love to be together. We have known the highs and lows of life, but we really have had mostly highs. There has never been a day go by in our 36 years together that Michael has not told me he loved me and that I was beautiful. Our relationships with each other, our children, our grandchildren, and the gospel are the most important things in our life.