Dear Laney,
Two years ago, my friend Blake was wrapping up his visit with us here in Montana. Your dad and I were planning on getting married a few months later, but at that point we were just engaged. Blake left $50 in the console of our car as a "thank you" gift for his trip (which was totally unnecessary, but also very thoughtful).
A few days after Blake left, your dad and I were talking about how nice it would be if we were already married, so I could go ahead and get my Montana driver's license and register to vote in my married name.
we could start living happily ever after.
At 1pm on July 10 2008, we walked to the courthouse to ask about getting a marriage license, and they gave us one on the spot: $40. They only took cash, so I whipped out the $50 Blake had left us. I asked "How can we make this official?" and the woman behind the counter said the judge could perform the ceremony at 4pm.
Your dad called Nate and asked if he was doing anything after work...if not, Nate was welcome to come be a witness at our wedding. Actually, what your dad said was "Not much, what are YOU up to?" and then I had to remind your dad why he was calling Nate in the first place. Your dad is horrible on the phone, but that's a tirade for another day.
With 3 hours to kill before our appointment with the judge, we walked down the street and blew our last $10 on two burritos for lunch. Romance! Spontaneity! Salsa!
Nate met us at the Courthouse and we walked into Judge's chambers - I was wearing a sundress and flip flops. We didn't have rings. The whole thing took about five minutes. The judge said we were the highlight of her day, wished us luck, and waved goodbye.
So, as of tomorrow, your dad and I have officially been married for two years. The secret's out. Yay, us!
Love,
Mom
P.S. When you're older, you should ask Uncle Nate what it was like to call Peg Peg that afternoon and say "I was at the wedding - where were you?" I swear it's the closest a human woman has ever come to jumping through a phone line and beating someone with a stick.
Happy Anniversary!
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