Love Is In The Air

We're not sure why there are streams of light and color fragments in this image

of Jim and me from Kauai...we'd like to think

it's because we were getting the universe's blessing

... see the heart shaped cloud?

This image was not manipulated in any way.

I remember the first time I heard that song "Love Is In The Air". I was at an Italian disco in Rome, dancing. My Mom, my sister and I took a Perillo tour to the North side of Italy when I was 16.

Today, Jim and I are getting ready for an early evening wedding. I love weddings and the celebrations that follow them. I really don't know any of the people at this one. One of Jim's hockey buddies is tying the knot and I've never met him or his fiance. So, I get to be the ultimate observer at someone else's biggest night of their lives. Yayy. I love love, so this is right up my alley.

I prayed for them last night. I prayed that God would bless their marriage and strengthen their hearts. Marriage is a very tough proposition today. Anyday. It takes a lot of dedication and forethought. Putting someone before yourself constantly. Everyday I ask myself what I can do to make my husband's life easier. It puts my marriage in it's proper place. Thirteen years later and I'm so happy to say that our marriage is blessed. It is blessed because we take our vows and commitment to each other very seriously.

That doesn't mean we don't argue and have valley's that are so thick and sticky. We do. But it's the way we deal with it that keeps us together. We're best friends. We enjoy a lot of the same things. Our interests overlap. We also have our own individual interests separate and distinct from one another. Maybe that's why it works.

Maybe it works because we pray. We pray together. We ask God to bless our marriage, our efforts, our intentions, our families, our friends. We know God has a plan for us. We know He brought us together, that's so obvious. We're so very grateful.

Hmmmm. Maybe ours is a good marriage because we eloped. Weddings are stressful, but a trip to Hawaii - that's fun. That's what we did. We went to Kauai with some friends and while we were there, we exchanged vows. It was Jimmy's idea by the way. We didn't plan to get married there. We were engaged. We already owned our first house so we were headed in the general direction of eternal commitment. But I didn't want a big wedding. It was too complicated for me with my parents not being together. So, one day, in the lobby of our hotel Jim said to the concierge "We'd like to get married".

I was shocked and ecstatic. Immediately, we put the wheels in motion and two days later we were married on sacred fishing ground between the ocean and the mountains of Kauai. I thank God everyday for that moment in my life. I thank God everyday for my best friend.