Czech Happy

You know, there are any number of wedding photos I could've chosen of me in my big, pretty dress and you in your fancy Tall One clothes. I like the one of us dancing to a Vince Gill song and we're smiling at each other and it looks like we're speaking sweet words of love and life-long commitment, but what we're really saying is, "Did you pick this song?? THIS song?? I think he's singing about divorce. 'Yellow Submarine' would've been better than this! Keep smiling. Don't you love my big, pretty dress?"
Or there's that one of us outside the country club ... the wind blowing my big, long, pretty veil on 10/21/95 ... You looked really cute, too. I love that picture.
Or, ACK!! There's that one of you and all your groomsmen posing w/ your pant legs raised a notch because you're all wearing WHITE SOCKS w/ your black fancy clothes!! Oh, that seemed really funny the night before the wedding when you and all your guys were holed up in the motor lodge eating bean dip and cheese ... "Yeah, I told you guys lots of times to not forget your BLACK SOCKS, so wouldn't it be funny to wear WHITE socks tomorrow??" See, it's not really funny when I tell it now. Just goes to show it wasn't really funny then, but you did it anyway and I kinda like that you broke the "rules."
There's the one of you and the cheese swan on our reception table. Elegantly carved cheese. I'm not sure you knew there was such a lovely thing as a big hunk of pretty cheese. I think you liked it better than my big, pretty dress.
But, this shot -- during this traditional Czech wedding song and dance -- the one where my mom got to destroy my hairdo by removing my big, long pretty veil, plop this handmade bonnet on my destroyed hairdo, tie on the apron, supposedly signifying a lifetime of making kolaches and homemade pickles -- is my happiest wedding picture.
Twelve years later, I am still so very proud of my messed-up bonnet hair. Because when again in 12 years of marriage have you ever seen me coiffed so perfectly as the early hours of our wedding day? Nope. Never. "Bonnet hair" is much more my style. And yours.
I love that you still laugh like that. You laugh with me, you laugh w/ our boys, and when you do, it's not a half-hearted, "half laugh." It's an open-mouth laugh from your heart. From your heart. Just like you do everything.
And there's the Biggest Brother in our family. Looking so much littler than I remember. I can tell he's nervous because he's kinda messing w/ his fingers and hands like he does when he gets nervous, but he's on your lap ... close to you where he knows he's safe. And still is.
The people behind us in the shot remind me of the family and friends who love and sustain us. A perfect blend of tradition and acceptance. Your family -- your uncles, aunts and cousins, knew all the words to the Czech Wedding Song and procession. They've never stopped teaching us by example, through family, history and love.
The friends in the picture -- those girls in the purple dresses -- they didn't know what in the HELL they were singing about -- but, they just babbled along LOUDLY, following the lead of Czech aunts and uncles prompting them to "SING LOUDER!!" And then in the very best spirit of the evening ... our friends and our blended families linked arms, paraded thru the reception hall, SINGING, dancing, marching, toasting and laughing.
Here's to 12 years of messed up bonnet hair. Lots of dancing. And cheese.
Cheers!