Thursday, April 23, 2009
24 Years and Counting...
Earlier this week (April 20), Julie and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it's been 24 years - what's harder to believe is how swiftly the years have passed! But it's been a wonderful ride and we've been blessed with many beautiful memories. We really don't put much effort in to actually celebrating the day; Julie played volleyball, I watched Dancing With the Stars and I think lights were out by 10:30 pm. - just another typical day in the Hopkins house. And that's what was so nice about the day. We spent it being who we are. I know in recent years we've 'celebrated' by being at Judd's volleyball match or Aaron's lacrosse game but this year we had nothing going on and I have to admit, I kind of liked that.
I actually remember our wedding day like it was yesterday - it was a beautiful, sunny Cincinnati day with the temperature close to 80 degrees. I spent the night before at a Red Roof Inn with my brothers. We got up and went to breakfast and then I hooked up with Tom (my old college room mate) and his wife Jody (who might as well have been my room mate, as well) who I hadn't seen since we graduated. Tom and Jody actually got married the same day as graduation and I was the best man in their wedding - Tom had accepted a job with Boeing and they had to move to Seattle immediately following the wedding. We went to lunch at Ponderosa Steak House (of all places) and then bowling at Madison Bowl with my dad and brothers - I have no reason why. Ours was an evening wedding so I spent most of the afternoon catching up with Tom and Jody as well as Danno (my other Ohio State room mate) and his first wife, Susan. I was also the best man in their wedding. (Dan has remarried and I was also able to attend his second wedding - his wife, Celina, is very nice and we still keep in touch via e-mail) These guys were great friends but I don't think the three of us have been together since that day. Tom lives in Montana (which we visited in 1997) and Dan is now in South Carolina.
Anyway, our wedding started at 6:30. It was at St. Antoninus Church and at the time, their church was similar to a basement. Quite a few people attended - many from Julie's side who I really didn't know. On my side, it was the typical misfit collection - God love my family but there were people there who I don't think we invited but they came any way. I'm talking about friends of my brothers and sisters - obviously they came as their guests. Throughout the night I was explaining who most of them were. It was kind of strange. But, it was pretty typical of my family so I just rolled with it.
I remember watching Julie walk down the aisle and thinking how the heck did I pull this off? (I'm sure my room mates and friends were thinking the same thing.) Afterall, I had told her when we first started dating that I couldn't drive because I was an epileptic - the truth was I had had my license suspended because I was involved in an accident with no insurance and I was too embarrassed to admit to that. So I lied which led to me getting slapped when she found out the truth. And despite that, she still agreed to marry me. Despite a pathetic proposal (I didn't have a ring), despite an equally pathetic scene when I finally got her a ring, I was hapless. So as I watched my beautiful bride walk down the aisle I couldn't help but think I was the luckiest guy in the world. And I was so taken over by the emotion of that moment that I actually kissed her as soon as she got to the altar. We had a rather long ceremony - probably because I had recently became Catholic and wasn't really familiar with what goes on at a Mass. The highlight for me (besides the vows) was when Danno did, for lack of a better term, a little talk at the end of the ceremony. I had tears in my eyes; it was so perfect because he had remembered a conversation we had one night at Ohio State - just a couple of college kids sitting around thinking about the future - and it tied in perfectly with our wedding. I had actually forgotten the conversation, myself, but Danno said he always hoped he could share it with my wife on my wedding day - if in fact that day ever arrived - and he was able to do it in beautiful fashion.
From the end of the mass to the end of the reception, everything else was kind of a blur. We drove around Western Hills in a convertible, drinking champaign and blowing the car horn. One of my favorite pictures is of Julie and me sitting in the car, huge smiles on our faces - that's my happy moment picture - it never ceases to make me smile. We didn't get to the reception until late and it was such a whirlwind the rest of the night - you try to get around and see everyone but you also want to soak in the entire moment. It was just a wonderful day.
And 24 years later, we're still going strong. And we owe it all to a little Christmas party at the Cork 'n Cleaver restuarant where Julie and I first hooked up. It was her last day working there and had we not talked that night, we may have never seen each other again. And yet, we did. We made a date to see 'Terms of Endearment', I told her she was going to have to drive because I was epileptic and the rest, as they say, is history. The epileptic story has recently resurfaced - our kids know about it, Julie's mom knows about it, people tease me about it but at the end of the day; "By the way, you're going to have to drive because I'm epileptic and can't drive." turned out to be a pretty good pick-up line, didn't it? (Well, actually, not really!)
I actually remember our wedding day like it was yesterday - it was a beautiful, sunny Cincinnati day with the temperature close to 80 degrees. I spent the night before at a Red Roof Inn with my brothers. We got up and went to breakfast and then I hooked up with Tom (my old college room mate) and his wife Jody (who might as well have been my room mate, as well) who I hadn't seen since we graduated. Tom and Jody actually got married the same day as graduation and I was the best man in their wedding - Tom had accepted a job with Boeing and they had to move to Seattle immediately following the wedding. We went to lunch at Ponderosa Steak House (of all places) and then bowling at Madison Bowl with my dad and brothers - I have no reason why. Ours was an evening wedding so I spent most of the afternoon catching up with Tom and Jody as well as Danno (my other Ohio State room mate) and his first wife, Susan. I was also the best man in their wedding. (Dan has remarried and I was also able to attend his second wedding - his wife, Celina, is very nice and we still keep in touch via e-mail) These guys were great friends but I don't think the three of us have been together since that day. Tom lives in Montana (which we visited in 1997) and Dan is now in South Carolina.
Anyway, our wedding started at 6:30. It was at St. Antoninus Church and at the time, their church was similar to a basement. Quite a few people attended - many from Julie's side who I really didn't know. On my side, it was the typical misfit collection - God love my family but there were people there who I don't think we invited but they came any way. I'm talking about friends of my brothers and sisters - obviously they came as their guests. Throughout the night I was explaining who most of them were. It was kind of strange. But, it was pretty typical of my family so I just rolled with it.
I remember watching Julie walk down the aisle and thinking how the heck did I pull this off? (I'm sure my room mates and friends were thinking the same thing.) Afterall, I had told her when we first started dating that I couldn't drive because I was an epileptic - the truth was I had had my license suspended because I was involved in an accident with no insurance and I was too embarrassed to admit to that. So I lied which led to me getting slapped when she found out the truth. And despite that, she still agreed to marry me. Despite a pathetic proposal (I didn't have a ring), despite an equally pathetic scene when I finally got her a ring, I was hapless. So as I watched my beautiful bride walk down the aisle I couldn't help but think I was the luckiest guy in the world. And I was so taken over by the emotion of that moment that I actually kissed her as soon as she got to the altar. We had a rather long ceremony - probably because I had recently became Catholic and wasn't really familiar with what goes on at a Mass. The highlight for me (besides the vows) was when Danno did, for lack of a better term, a little talk at the end of the ceremony. I had tears in my eyes; it was so perfect because he had remembered a conversation we had one night at Ohio State - just a couple of college kids sitting around thinking about the future - and it tied in perfectly with our wedding. I had actually forgotten the conversation, myself, but Danno said he always hoped he could share it with my wife on my wedding day - if in fact that day ever arrived - and he was able to do it in beautiful fashion.
From the end of the mass to the end of the reception, everything else was kind of a blur. We drove around Western Hills in a convertible, drinking champaign and blowing the car horn. One of my favorite pictures is of Julie and me sitting in the car, huge smiles on our faces - that's my happy moment picture - it never ceases to make me smile. We didn't get to the reception until late and it was such a whirlwind the rest of the night - you try to get around and see everyone but you also want to soak in the entire moment. It was just a wonderful day.
And 24 years later, we're still going strong. And we owe it all to a little Christmas party at the Cork 'n Cleaver restuarant where Julie and I first hooked up. It was her last day working there and had we not talked that night, we may have never seen each other again. And yet, we did. We made a date to see 'Terms of Endearment', I told her she was going to have to drive because I was epileptic and the rest, as they say, is history. The epileptic story has recently resurfaced - our kids know about it, Julie's mom knows about it, people tease me about it but at the end of the day; "By the way, you're going to have to drive because I'm epileptic and can't drive." turned out to be a pretty good pick-up line, didn't it? (Well, actually, not really!)
# posted by Vince Hopkins @ 3:29 PM 
