I have never really been one for following tradition. I think this because I have a creative streak in me that makes me want to perpetually put my own personal stamp on things. Over this past weekend, one of the very fun things that Pete and I did was to bring along a box full of all our wedding photos. The intent was to finally (yes, TEN years later!) sort and organize all the photos, but instead we found ourselves caught up in re-living our wedding weekend and reminiscing about all the wonderful moments -- which was far more fun, albeit less productive! In the process, I came across a number of photos and memorabilia which reminded me of the many ways that I tried to creatively personalize our wedding. For example, I designed our programs myself (and I still LOVE them to this day!). I chose wildflower arrangements for our ceremony, rather than more traditional roses or such, since the wildflowers reminded me of the many springtime camping and hiking trips which Pete and I had taken together. We opted for an outdoor wedding in the beautiful Arizona desert as a way to celebrate our mutual love of the outdoors, despite the fact that the Catholic church would not recognize this as an official marriage. In fact, we were forced to have a small, private ceremony at a local church the day before in order to make the marriage "official" in the eyes of the church, but to this day, Pete and I still consider our outdoor ceremony to be our real anniversary. And lastly, I attempted to create a unique and meaningful cake. I remember looking at all the various traditional wedding cake pictures and yawning with boredom. I wanted a cake that reflected our lives and would be meaningful and memorable. And so I instructed the cake decorator to design a cake in the shape of a mountain with a trail winding up the side and two pairs of chocolate hiking boots at the top. And in looking at the photo ten years later, "memorable" is an understatement! Even I have to admit that it was not the most attractive cake! Ha! But at the time, a mountain seemed perfect.
The first vacation that Pete and I ever took was camping in Alaska. I remember being completely overwhelmed by how enormous the mountains were there (along with everything else in Alaska!) and how incredibly insignificant I felt surrounded by them. It was a life defining moment, to say the least. I also remember coming back from that vacation and telling a friend "I am going to marry that guy someday!" even though Pete and I had only been together for four months at the time. There are some things that you just know, and this was one of them.
And "mountains" have continued to play a large role in our relationship...We both have fond memories of camping in the Smokey Mountains before we were married; of vacationing in the rocky, mountainous terrain of the Greek islands; of honeymooning in the Dolomites and Alps of Italy; and of hiking the numerous, breath-taking mountains that surround our home today. However, our wedding cake perhaps most appropriately foretold the incredible mountain that Pete and I have climbed together this past year. There is no other mountain that has come close to this one and, hopefully, this will be the largest and hardest mountain that we ever have to climb.
Cancer is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for a marriage that is on the rocks. Given my experience and stories that I have heard, I have to believe that a cancer diagnosis either strengthens or breaks a marriage -- there is no room for middle ground. Luckily, Pete and I fall into the former camp. Pete is the most amazing guy that I have ever met and I still pinch myself today -- ten years later -- when I think of how lucky I am to have him as my husband and as the father of my children. He is extremely funny, incredibly smart, super disciplined in everything that he does, probably the most honest person I have ever known, and extremely determined when he sets his mind to something. I remember shortly after my diagnosis, he declared "This is my fight as much as it's yours and I have no intention of losing." I am truly blessed to have him in my life.
Someday, in the not so distant future, Pete and I will be at the top of this crazy mountain of mine and I know that we will look down with awe and wonder at how far we actually climbed and how steep and scary the mountain really was. It's been a monumental climb in so many ways, and I will be forever grateful that Pete was my climbing partner for I honestly don't think that I would be where I am today (or who I am today!) were it not for him.
And so, in hindsight, I think that our wedding cake was perfect. It was fortuitous and beautiful. It reflects the shared story of our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment