...And Mary Brought Me Daffodils. (Silverman Wedding Anniversary #1 of 3)

Today marks 11 years since Eric and I were legally married.

Our story begins in the spring of 1998. During our engagement, just 2 months before the wedding we had been planning, (and on my 24th birthday) Eric was told that he may have cancer. He had been having some back pain, and thought it may be a pulled muscle so he went to the doctor. The doctor found some enlarged lymph nodes on his neck and told him it might be lymphoma, a type of cancer.

After surgery for a biopsy, it was confirmed. Eric had cancer.

We decided to get legally married so that I would be Eric's "next of kin" (for medical/legal purposes) and so that he could be covered under my health insurance.

On Monday, March 23, 1998 Eric called the courthouse to find out when we could go to be married. At the time, I was working until about 3:30 every afternoon. We figured the courthouse would be open until 5 and I could meet him there after work. Eric discovered that they only performed weddings until 3:30 so I had to go ask my boss if I could leave work a little early. The conversation went something like this:

Me: I was wondering if I could leave a little early today.

Boss: Sure, what's going on?

Me: I'm going to get married this afternoon and they close at 3:30.

Boss: {Shrieking} You're getting married! You need to leave now (it was 10am). You'll have to get your nails done, you hair done....Will you need the next few days off for a honeymoon?

Me: No, it's just a legal ceremony. It doesn't "count" as our wedding. It's a legal document.

Boss: {puzzled} Ok, go when you need to.

(Did I mention I had a great boss? Thanks, Nina!)



So I met Eric at the courthouse that afternoon. We were ushered into a room made just for weddings. It had AstroTurf on the floor, mirrors on the wall, a park bench, a white trellis with fake flowers, and I think a cherub shaped statue or fountain. Yes,it was cheesy.

We hadn't invited anyone to attend, since this wasn't our "real" wedding. Our friend, Mary, was a school teacher and was home by that time in the afternoon. We must have left a message saying we were getting married, and she called to ask if she could come. She brought daffodils from her yard and I used them as my bouquet. I wore the flower crown I had gotten from our trip to the Renaissance Festival (read about this here).

I also wore a black shirt and blue jeans. On my wedding day. (Eric wore the shirt in the picture yesterday...yes he still has it and it's in the "normal" rotation. Mine's long gone.)

The court clerk said we were the most in love couple she'd seen.

Afterward, we wanted to celebrate by going to eat in Downtown Baltimore in a restaurant at the top of a tall building but when we got there, we discovered the restaurant was closed. Only on Monday.

So....we went to TGIFriday's instead. I had the "Steak On a Stick Platter". I don't remember what Eric ordered. For almost all of the past 11 years, we have celebrated this anniversary by going to TGIFriday's (in MD, TX, MO, and now we need to add VA) and I always get a Steak On a Stick Platter. It's the pineapple that makes it.






Stay tuned for Silverman Wedding Anniversary #2 and #3. (coming April 3, May 23)