Happy Anniversary

August 20, 1983
Teri & Tim

My sister has been married, today, to my Brother-in-Law, Tim, for 25 years. Their Silver Anniversary. It seems like it was just yesterday, that they married, at The Webber Street Church of Christ, on a hot-hot August day, she in long, lace sleeves, and him, so handsome in a tux. They now have 2 children, Brandi, 22, and Dane, 18.

I traipse down memory lane as I think of their marriage, their life together. As I look back, the word "laughter" comes to mind. Through good times and tough times, laughter prevails.

When I think of my sister, of course, memories go back B.T. (Before Tim). We laugh now how we fought, as children, worse than any boys. I swear, kicking and rolling around on the floor, biting and pulling hair.

Our favorite stories consist of Teri's putting bite-marks into her own arm, screaming her head off, and telling Mom that I bit her.

"Mom! Lori bit me!"

We still remember Mom simultaneously driving down Main street and trying to spank me at the same time, while I darted around the back seat, dodging and swearing that I hadn't bitten anyone.

Another popular familiy story is one of my pestering Teri, in our teen years, while we sat in the back seat of Dad's suburban. "You better stop," she warned me. I DIDN'T stop though, and she finally, simply reached behind the back seat, grabbed a torque wrench from the tool box, and cracked me in the elbow with it.

A torque wrench = not a small wrench.

CRACK! I mean, she CRACKED me in the elbow with it. The wrench-to-bone contact was so audible that it scared the bejeesus out of our mother. I was left writhing and laughing my butt off on the floor, while Teri sat back and said "I TOLD you to knock it off."

I never pestered her again. Would YOU?

And by the way, it was also a running joke in the family that only SHE was allowed to beat me up. She was otherwise fiercely protective of me, slapping crap out of any pig-tail pulling boys on the playground.

And Tim. I snapped at him the first time I met him, for telling me where to turn, on the way to Lake-of-the-Woods. I wanted to go MY way! I had no idea where I was going, but I didn't want any instructions! Dammit!

Teri, riding in the front seat, gave me a look that fried me like one of those cartoon people that get struck by lightning.


I decided right then and there that I'd better get about loving this guy, because my sister sure did.

And I did. And I still do. Tim has made me laugh my entire life-since-he-married-Teri, telling stories of our parents at every holiday event, and running the video camera while I drank straight out of Mom & Dad's milk jug. He always threatened to do a slide show with photographs of 1) my hair-do's and 2) all of the guys I dated. Apparently he thinks there were too many of both.

He's my singing buddy. Many's the year we awed annoyed the family at Christmas with our famous Barry Manilow Medley Duet. Let me tell you: It's really somethin.

Ah. It's 25 years now, that they've laughed together, and invited so many to laugh with them. I'm so proud of them, and so happy for them.

I wish I had a copy of their wedding photo, but it seems that I do not. I'll leave you with this one, then, taken a few months ago.

Leave a shout-out for them here, if you'd like, or drop me a line for their e-mail address.