And Then We
Were One
by Bill Sanders - December 24, 2004

I called the Boone County Courthouse, where I found the Clerk performs the ceremony. However, the clerk was on vacation, back Monday. Ok... From Monday on we've been going, though Chris' mind has been going since before today!

I got hold of the clerk. The office was closed Thursday and Friday. She was not going to be available, either day. However, she gave me the numbers of the surrounding counties, and told me we could come in and fill out the forms (one of us had to be a resident of Boone County, and both of us are, so...) I called Hamilton County, and the magistrate "penciled us in". I then called the Tippecanoe County (where I spent over 25 years of life) Courthouse, got the clerk, set it up for Friday, and, because the courthouse was closed, had to have a place. Chris called me on her break, and suggested my parents'. I called them, talked to my Mom, and asked (and asked them to keep it secret and why) and she agreed.

I had a doctor's appointment in Indianapolis that (late) afternoon. Chris ordered a couple of cakes from Kroger (hey, small wedding, remember?), came home, we went to the courthouse and filled out the paperwork, and went on to the doctor's (everything was ok). She wanted a cake topper and had already checked and couldn't find any in Lebanon. I remembered where my ex got cake-makin's from (Cake Create -- she made wedding cakes for friends for a time), and it was on the way to Sam's Club (where we needed to go while in Indy). She got the topper and we went on to Sam's to shop.

I called Christopher, since Matthew would know about it and be there, since it was to be held there, to let him know and find out if he could make it. He was scheduled for 8-5, and doubted they'd let him go home early.

I had another doctor's appointment, scheduled for 2:45. Chris came home, we left, got there at 2:30, and sat for over an hour, waiting. It seems the doctor's office had a new system, and though they had told me the date and time, they had not entered it into the machine, so they had no record. We waited while the doctor saw a new patient (45 minute appointment) and went in. Again, everything was fine. In fact, she took me off insulin, changing it to another Avandamet. (KEWL! NO MORE SHOTS!) So, it ended up being after 5 or so when we got home. Chris tried to call the clerk to set up the type of service she was to read, but couldn't get through.

We did manage to spend a day doing nothing. However, Chris worried about her clothes, tried a couple of them on, washed mine, and decided she wanted something else. She went to Wal-Mart and picked up a new pair of slacks and a sweater that evening.

For those that missed it, much of Indiana was under a Winter Storm Warning. And it snowed. I mean it SNOWED. Southern Indiana got up to 3 feet. It had snowed in southern Indy. We watched the news and it was snowing at 39 and 65 (south side of Lebanon) but we didn't even see a flake. We watched the weather channel and news, waiting for the storm to hit us. Chris took the dogs out at 9 and went to bed about 10 and it was just starting to snow. They had been threatening up to 10 inches or so here, but...

I IM'd with Dad that evening, and found he hadn't even told my son, Matthew, who's living with them. Dad told me that my brother and sister were off Friday... Since Dad was talking about the plans, Chris came back out to the living room and sat with me. We discussed telling my siblings and other "plans". We called Matthew as soon as we signed off with Dad, and surprised him with the news. He was then slated to be the "official photographer", knowing that Dad would have his camera there, too.

We got up (Chris was off) and found about 8" of snow on the ground. With my balance and walking ability, Chris went out to shovel the snow from the driveway. Luckily, a guy with a blade on the front of his pickup came by and offered to clear the driveway for $15. It cost $16, because I only had $20 bills and he only had $4 in change, but it was worth it. Chris cleared a path on the back deck, and shoveled the porch and ramp, and was back in HOURS before she would have been if she'd have had to do the driveway!

We watched the weather and news for information, and she found that in Evansville, just south of where her kids are, it snowed close to 3 feet. She called Amy (her oldest daughter) and told her about the wedding. Later in the day, one of the other kids called. They held conversation about the weather, wedding and what the kids were going to do.

That afternoon, we went to Great Clips and I got a haircut. Chris got her hair trimmed (she's been letting it grow for two years or so now, and this is the first "real" trim it's had. She had always trimmed her own bangs.) On the way home, we stopped at Kroger for the wedding cake, and I sat in the car while Chris "ran in" to get them. About 1/2 hour later, she came out with two cakes, a corsage and buttoneer(sp?), and a bottle of sparkling grape juice (in place of champagne).

We called my brother and sister for the "last minute invitations" and both said they'd be there!

THE BIG DAY. We got up, dressed and left around 11:00, getting to my parents on a VERY clear interstate, in the normal 45 minutes or so. My sister and her girls showed up (her husband showed up about mid-ceremony), then my brother and his son came (His daughter -freshman, PU) had her tonsils out day before yesterday, and today was to be the worst of the days after the surgery. Mom stayed home with her, and to cook for her family Christmas). At 1:00 the clerk showed up, talked a little to Chris about the ceremony she wanted, and within about 5 minutes after we started, we were married! (The picture, above, is the "With this ring..." part of the ceremony.) I had to sit through it, but it worked out... Can you imagine? After seeing the picture below, Chris said she'd have had a stiff neck when all was said and done if I hadn't. See, I wanted at least a picture or two of us both standing... (see below)