romie and roxie

february has held the birthday rights to my smiling husband, on the romantic 14th day, the day of tulips and chocolate,  roses and tiramisu, a valentine baby, he. it was exactly 33 years ago today on the 18th of february that i strolled in to his office seeking employment, so i could move back home from the big city of atlanta. during and after college i had soared across continents and seas, languages and cultures, exploring me. and now i longed for the coast and the familiar smells and sights that bespeak the spell of family and home, that primitive call to many a wanderer. neither of us knew how fortuitous that chilly february day would be. he recalls i wore a denim dress, and jewelry that he liked. he said i smiled. i remember liking his voice, just deep enough to be masculine, but with a hint of laughter with a strong, gentle and southern resonance.  i say i first fell in love with his voice, he fell in love with my smile. 

mum-of-the-bride

there are those women friends, siblings, and daughters who have no idea how to organize a wedding. i wonder, are they so content with their lives that none of the hooplah matters or jiggles them? they are in a bubble afloat amongst the winds. this is not to say i am a Southern belle insisting on the requisite minimum of 1 full year to engage all the details. i do believe a year engagement with your beau is preferable,  tho' i myself jumped in well before the 1 year marker. let's see, we met in february, how sweet that he recalled the date later by referring to his office calendar. it was february 18, a day we still celebrate going on 33 years next week. sounds very long, doesn't it? some of those days were much longer than others! 

but here we are, planning a wedding for our daughter. i try to keep my hands off and let her run. she is so capable and talented and well-organized. but a sounding board from the previous generation is a solid base to launch from. so i sound. i sound that we do need to stick to a budget if she and her beau insist on this spring wedding, rather than wait for the cooler breeze of autumn, after we are able to add considerably to the designated wedding account. i sound that we can certainly find a perfect dress in a one day outing to North Carolina, just my baby girl and me, the Mum, seeing each other through different eyes now. i sound that no, we will not just have cookies and wine at the reception later that evening. but in many ways it's time for me to just be quiet and let her run.