The Bear celebrates 30 years of marriage

yeah

30 years ago to this day - I very calmly  walked into Durham St Methodist Church and says - "Yes - I do" amongst other things.
Funny how things work out.
I was supposed to be here for a years worth of voluntary work - and then got "stuck"!  These Kiwi Gal's are just to tempting and a very beautiful - and one of them in particular!!   How could one resist??  Honestly!?!
Somehow everyone in Europe knew before I left - with all of them saying - " ah he finds a girl and marries and  . . . . "   yeah right!  yes right alright! Wouldn't do anything different given the chance . . . . .

 After the church - off to the gardens for some traditional pictures.

 The bridge of marriage - one of the favorite places to take pictures.  Hmmmm that must be the only second time I wore a tie . . . . .  ever

 The cutting of the cake.  Rumor has it that whoever has their hand on top is wearing the pants at home.

(guess by now you had a good look to see how our hands were placed  ;-)   ) 

 We were a very modern couple already back then.  Proceedings normally require the groom to give a speech, after the - you know - and we did - *cough* well I said two words and then "delegated" urm "volunteered" my newly minted wife to say a few words.  She did well on our behalf!

 Sharing the light finger-food with the rest of the folks.  Emma the flower girl from Pam's next door neighbor, had a good time.

Pssst - a quick kiss and then we got in the Viva and drove off to the honey moon suite - in Oxford were a couple does what . . . . enough said there!   I'm sure you get the picture.  From there we drove to our new place in Wellington.
We did have a few nights at a certain Bach in Picton and - still remember having to unpack the car (as in take out ALL of the wedding gifts - no easy feat as it was packed solid up to the roof - no room for even a mouse) to get to the spare tire and change that - then RE-pack everything and having the tire fixed later in Wellington . . . .   Amazingly it all fitted back in . .
It did look funny - us on the side of the road and presents all over the grass and things . . . . 


hmmm I did look skinny back then.  Marriage obviously suited - I gained a wife and 25 kg!

  
Within these 30 years of bliss, we traveled 3 times to Europe, had 2 strapping boys, bought a house (now mortgage free), and I did 17 years worth in Scouting - being away on 215 camping nights (and still counting), survived a 7.1 and 6.3 earthquake, and fell in love with two places in NZ - Whitianga and Tekapo

Soon we go to Australia (for a treat)  - and have 10 nights in a campervan there - arriving in Brisbane and somehow we have to find Sydney, -- shouldn't be to hard.  If we survive that as a couple we then plan to sell the house and buy ourselves a Campervan (xtra large) and tour around NZ for a full year before retiring to Whitianga . . .    (well - thats the plan for later)

gotta go and prep - urm dessert I think, then the ironing, gardening.
hmmmm maybe something else ^.0  *grins*

shhhhhh my lips are sealed . . . . .