Just a quick update as we start into a new week and I head out the door to Greenville for a pulmonology appointment.
This is my to-do list on my phone this morning, the majority of it wedding-related. Just so you know, I am not under any illusion that I will possibly get everything on the list done; it’s only there to serve as a reminder of how far I am behind.
It’s like you wake up, look at your phone, and are basically greeted with the words, “Good morning! You are FAR behind on everything.”
Speaking of wedding planning, Sarah felt well enough last Wednesday morning to go with Gage and get their marriage license. They weren’t sure if COVID was going to slow down the process so they wanted to get it done. A license is kind of an important item to have on one’s wedding day.
Our Dare County office has a cool setup where you can move the heart on the map to the location of the town you will be married in. And then you get to choose from a variety of signs to hold while your picture is taken. They opted for the one that refers to all the ups and downs they’ve been through lately–high tides and low tides.
Except for one other brief errand, Sarah has stayed at home the last five days, still running fevers, resting a lot, eating a little, trying to plan for the wedding as often as she has the strength. Her appetite has picked up a little bit but the challenging part now is that when she eats, she feels full very quickly because of the tumor. So it’s not been an easy thing for her.
Yesterday she seemed a little bit stronger and made a small joke or two while we were at the table. The only thing better than seeing that tiny bit of a sparkle return to her eyes was seeing the joy on Gage’s face as he watched that sparkle.
On Saturday, Gage had to record the video announcements for church without Sarah at his side. I got a shot of him hard at work . . .
and being played in the service. He’ll be really glad to have his Announcements Cohort back with him.
Here’s a photo that Gage took of me while we were leaving Duke last Tuesday. I didn’t even realize he was taking it but was so glad he captured the moment.
I was thankful for the honor of getting to be with Sarah as we headed down the hall and made our way back home–trading the hospital room for her own, sweet bedroom–a place where she will live for just three more weeks. (Sniff.)
Future medical visits include her colonoscopy in the middle of June, an endoscopy to biopsy a small spot in her stomach, and a follow-up visit with Dr. Riedel, her Duke oncologist. Not sure if the latter two appointments will be before or after the wedding but we just know they are pending.
In the meantime, she and Gage are truly enjoying opening all the wedding gifts that have been arriving on our front porch. I’m sure the UPS guy must think we have hit the jackpot and are now doing a whole bunch of crazy shopping!
And in many ways that’s true. Sarah and Gage have won the jackpot–the true love jackpot. It’s the best one to win.
And since we’re talking about marriage and we haven’t had a discussion question in a while, here’s one for you.
Answer one or answer them all.
What year did you get married?
How long did you know your spouse before marriage?
Where did you get married?
Praying for Sarah and Gage that she will be feeling much better for the wedding and afterwards. I truly hate that she is dealing with so much. As for me.. my hubby and I will celebrate our 48th Anniversary on June 8th. We got married two weeks after we graduated from high school and we had dated 4 years. Our daughter was born nine months from the day we got married. She had kids as parents.. 🙂 Now she is 47 and has a 20 year old son. Wow, where does time go? Hope to make it to our 50th. I am a nine year breast cancer survivor and I cherish every day of life. God has been good to me..
Kaye,
Thankful that you are a survivor! I know you will have many more years to celebrate.
Hey Becky 🙂
I have a question for you.
What do you think about LGBT + people? How would you be if you be if you met a gay or lesbian couple?/person I hope and think I know you well enough that you would be kind.
I am just wondering since I am a lesbian (not in a relationship ) and once in a while I do think about if I still welcome to read your blog
Katrina,
Steve and I are so glad to have you as part of your Smithellaneous family.
And if you ever were able to travel to America and to Manteo, we would love to have you to our house to dinner.
You are welcome here!
Continuing to pray for Sarah and your family.
My husband and I got married in February of this year. We were engaged for 5 years….I didn’t think he was ever going to marry me. 🙂 This is my first marriage at 57 years old. I was starting to think I was going to die an old maid and then along he came. It was a miracle. 😀
Engaged exactly 5 months after we started dating, and married 1 year and 1 week after we started dating. We have now been married 25 1/2 years!
Laura,
Your story is similar to Sarah and Gages; getting married a year to the day after they met.
Congrats on 25 years!
So glad to hear that Sarah is feeling some better and is able to enjoy some wedding planning and the opening of the gifts! I met my husband in 1981 and we got married in 1983 in my hometown in WA state, much to the chagrin of his mother and grandmother. We proved them both wrong and will celebrate 38 years in August. 🙂 I hope Sarah continues to feel better and better every day.
Gayle,
I love it when chagrin turns to celebration!
I really enjoyed reading the marriage posts. The sweet stories fill my heart with joy, admiration and hope. I am 66 years young, single and for the most part content with my blessed life. I still pray for God to connect me with an awesome Christian gentleman. If he has a Leroy Jethro Gibbs personality, that will be okay too! I married in 1979, gorgeous ceremony in my grandmother’s back yard in Roanoke Rapids, NC. I was 24 years old, emotionally very immature and unfortunately the marriage didn’t last. I am very fortunate to serve a loving, forgiving Heavenly Father whose mercies are new every morning, a Heavenly Father with a plan for my life. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Amen and Praise the Lord!
Gloria,
Yes, it IS fun to go back and read everyone’s stories, isn’t it?
I love your attitude of looking back at your life story with grace and looking forward to all that God has for you. Even a wonderful Leroy Jethro Gibbs look alike. 🙂
Becky, I think you are a sweet, wonderful person who means no harm but please do not assume things like that everyone is married. I am guessing that, just now getting married at 25/26 (which in your circles is approaching old maid territory), that Sarah has faced a few raised eyebrows…so please do not assume that everyone is in the same situation…kind of makes those of us who are different feel even *more* different when it is taken for granted that everyone has checked off certain milestones and I am pretty sure you would never intentionally make anyone feel bad.
Good morning!
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I went back and read through some of your older comments so I know you’re one of my valued readers who has been around a while. 🙂 So you’re no doubt aware that my usual blogging practice is to ask a discussion question about whatever my blog post was about that day: photography, cleaning the kitchen, traveling to a certain area of the country, first cars, favorite recipes, etc. Yesterday’s post was about marriage and so that’s why I chose the questions I did.
Having said all of that, please accept my apology if the questions made you feel “less than” any of my readers who are married. A person’s worth comes from who they are as an individual and not from who they are (or are not) married to. I see in you a person of worth and I appreciate you bringing a different perspective to all of us to consider.
Praying that Sarah feels better every day,and that you all can fully enjoy the excitement leading up to their wedding!
Bill and I met at church when he was 11 and I was 14.He says he knew from that time on that I was the one God had picked for him.We got married in that same church the week that he turned 19,and will celebrate our 48th anniversary in the fall!
Patricia,
It’s amazing that you have known each other almost your whole lives! I love stories where that happens.
Love the map idea! I hope Sarah continues to feel like eating. I also struggle to keep weight on and I know how tiresome it can get to have to eat just one more bite, or fix a snack when you just don’t feel hungry. Would a protein shake or smoothie appeal to her? I’m thinking she could customize the mix to suit whatever she felt like eating at a given moment, and maybe the liquid consistency would fill her up less quickly? I really like putting an avocado in my smoothies and blending it in. You can’t taste it, but it adds a great creamy texture and some extra fat and calories.
I’m not married, but I wanted to share the story of my grandparents. They met at an outdoor roller skating rink in 1954, when my grandma was 14 and my grandpa was 16. In October of 1957, they were married. Sixteen days later, my grandpa’s brother’s wife passed away after delivering a baby girl. Grandpa’s brother felt he couldn’t care for the baby by himself, especially since being a “single dad” wasn’t really a thing then. Nobody else came forward, so my grandma and grandpa, freshly married and ages 18 and 21, adopted her. That baby was my mom! They went on to have two more children, one of them born just 10 months after my mom. As I got older, I realized what a huge thing this must have been for them. A few years ago, I asked my grandma, “Weren’t you scared, having a newborn and a 10 month old before you turned 20?!” She looked at me, laughed, and said, “What do you think? Of course I was scared!”
She and my grandpa remained married for 63 years, until his death. Their relationship remains the example for my own life. They told each other, “I love you” every day for 63 years. Every day, no matter what was happening in their lives, my grandpa would ask, “My Honey, have I told you how beautiful you look today?” My grandpa had the tenderest heart, and my grandma is more no-nonsense. Together, they could (and would) do whatever you needed. When my cousin and I were little, we asked them why Grandpa always called Grandma “Honzee” and now nobody calls her anything else.
I live two blocks from the roller rink where they met that evening in 1954, and one block from the church where they were married. The roller rink is a swimming pool now, but whenever I walk by, I look at the stadium seating surrounding it and think about that evening in 1954, when two teenagers laid eyes on each other for the first time.
When we were looking through photos for my grandpa’s funeral, we found a school snapshot from my grandma’s freshman year of high school. On the back, she’d written a message to my grandpa, which ended, true to her stoic personality, “It’s been nice being your girl friend, but we’ll see how long it lasts.” We have not let her forget this! Poor guy! 😉 I guess 63 years isn’t such a bad run, though.
One day, I hope Sarah and Gage will pull out the photo of them standing in front of the map and marvel at how many waves they’ve withstood and how many ocean sunrises they’ve admired, side by side all the while.
Meredith,
Oh my, what a great story! You need to write out more details and submit it to a magazine!
The line your grandpa said every day brought tears to my eyes. Spoken words of love are so very powerful.
And I also chuckled at what your grandma wrote on the back of the snapshot. Such a great thing to be teased about for 63 years. 🙂 To think you still live so close to the area they met and married is just the icing on the cake.
Such a lovely, lovely story and I especially loved your closing paragraph. That is my prayer and wish, as well.
Becky, you are indeed my May 9, 2021 ‘Mother’s Day Hero’. God Bless you sweet Becky. Prayer surrounding your appointment in Greenville. I have family on the NC Outer Banks and attend Manteo First Assembly when I’m in town. I so enjoy Linda Tillet’s Sunday morning and Wednesday evening Bible Study. I plan to visit this summer and will deliver my wedding gift to Sarah and Gage.
Love.
Cousin Gloria
Asheville, NC
Gloria,
We look forward to see you this summer! I’m afraid we’ve not been posting Linda’s classes lately because of Sarah’s illness but hopefully we can get back to that.
I’m glad Sarah is taking care of herself, resting up for the Big Day!. Baby steps toward recovery are a whole lot better than no steps.
I married my husband in 1976,18 months after we met. We were married in Oakes Memorial Methodist Church, Summit, NJ. That church merged with a larger one in town, and the building now houses a community theater!
p.s. I must confess, when I saw the title of the post, with the picture of Gage, I thought you were going to tell us that HE is the jackpot!
Jan,
Ha.Too funny!
Jan,
Baby steps are better than no steps. Such a good truth to remember.
And we DO love community theaters, especially so with Gage now in the family.
So very glad for the sparkle in sweet Sarah’s eyes. Here’s to hoping it stays around and glad to know she is feeling some better
I met my sweet hubby in the 7th grade. We were best friends and never dated until 6 months before we got married. I think he realized finally that I was indeed a girl and not just one of the guys to help work on his car and everything else. We married in1970 and last January we celebrated 51 wonderful years of marriage that includes two amazing kids and 4 even more amazing grandkids. And I still feel a rush of love when I see a glimpse of his face. Love and prayers for all of you from East Tennessee.
Gail,
Oh, the sweetness of your story. Never dating till 6 months before the marriage? I would love to have been around when your eyes opened and you both said, “Hey. I think they’re the one!”
How great to have a wonderful friendship first.
And I love the idea of still seeing a rush of love when you see his face. Happy 51st!
So happy Sarah is feeling better. Praying! Hope your appointment goes well.
We got married in 1970 after dating about 6 weeks. We knew each other in high school, but were not really even friends then. So we had our 50th anniversary last September during the pandemic, eating takeout on a picnic table behind the restaurant. It was different, but still great. And they said it would not last!!!!!😊
Marge,
Six weeks of dating! Got to be some sort of record!
And takeout on a picnic table behind a restaurant isn’t great but what you were celebrating sure was.
I met my husband on a blind date on April 2, 1982, we hit it off immediately and got engaged in December of that year and married on April 14, 1984, my mom’s birthday. We got married at the Unitarian Church in Plainfield, NJ.
Dale,
I don’t hear of many people meeting on blind dates anymore. I think that it is so interesting! Congrats on all those years of being together.
Well blind dates I guess are akin to online dating sites today, our mutual friend who set us up had talked each of us up for six months! We had both worked at the same company, but not at the same time so I knew a lot of people who knew him and spoke very highly of him.
May 4, 1985
Knew him 2 years but knew we would be married after a few months.
First Baptist Church, where we met, Tallahassee FL. 8 moves in 14 years later and we were back where we started and will stay here!
Glad Sarah is feeling some better. I had Mono in college and it was not fun. Hopefully she’s at the end of it!
Jill,
Isn’t it amazing how you just “know” even after a short while. Love is such a miracle.
Glad you have come full circle in all your moves and are happy with where you have landed.
Got married in December of 1989 in a horrible ice storm. We met in 1985 and dated a year before going our separate ways for a year. We reconnected as friends and he proposed to me in September of 89. Though the road has not always been a perfect one, we have only fallen more in love.
Praying for Sara for all of her health concerns and to be able to enjoy every single minute of her wedding. It is clear that Gage is most definitely a child of God
Robin,
I love that you alluded to “the road has not always been a perfect one.” Every married person on earth could say that because marriage isn’t easy. I heard someone say that a good marriage is a union of two forgivers. So true. And so worth it.
I’m glad to hear that Sarah was able to get out to get her and Gage’s wedding license. I’m continuing to pray that she feels better each day.
I met my husband in 2012 through a mutual friend we were married on March 1, 2014, We got married in Columbus, Ohio
Heather,
Isn’t it great to have mutual friends? And even greater that they had the idea of introducing you to your future husband. Hooray for friends!
Happy to hear Sarah is able to eat some and get out a bit! I’m single and likely staying that way at 66! Prayers up!
Guerrina,
You’ve filled with your life with so many adventures along the way. I admire you!
I’ve never been married so I’ll tell you about my parents. They were married June 4, 1949 so a month from tomorrow they will be married 72 years! They got married at the minister’s house with his brother and soon to be wife as their witnesses. The next day the brother got married and my parents were their witnesses. Apparently the brother or his wife didn’t like the minister my parents used or it might have been a double wedding. Both my uncle and his wife are deceased. My dad’s parents lived down the road from my mom’s parents. In fact, his sister and my mom were the same age and friends. There were times that my mom would go somewhere with the family and my dad would say “why does she have to tag along?” Clearly he got over that. My mom actually briefly dated his brother even. My mom will be 90 next months and my dad will be 95 in August. My mom was two days shy of her 18th birthday when they were married.
Prayers for both all of Sarah’s appointments and your pulmonologist appointment.
We will be married 41 years on Monday
We were married in Oskaloosa, Iowa
I have known Jim for 51 years.
You are all in my daily prayers. Hugs from Iowa!
I met my husband in September of 1980. He proposed just 3 weeks later. Seriously!! We were married in May of 1981….approximately 8 months later and we will celebrate our 40th anniversary on Sunday, May 9th!
I’m so glad that Sarah has had some feel better times. May they become more frequent and lengthy!
Happy almost anniversary! I bet this last year has been among your most memorable yet! 🙂
I met my husband in 1980 and we were married in the Presbyterian church in San Luis Obispo, California. Our reception was at the Madonna Inn.
So very glad to hear Sarah is feeling a little bit better. Prayers for all. And the jackpot was hit!
How lovely to see Sarah up and about with Gage, even if “just” to get their marriage licence – and what better reason could there be!
(I just noticed that the spelling of license/licence is different in our respective countries. Interesting, isn’t it, to see how these differences developed.)
Love as always xxxx
Glad to hear Sarah is making improvements, though they are small, they are steps in the right direction. My hubby and I began dating in June of 1996 and married May 31, 1997 at my childhood home in Hickory, NC so it will be 24 years at the end of this month!
Yay for Hope! So glad to hear Sarah had a weekend with “feel good moments”!
Randy and I met through my sister, we were friends for five years and then began dating. Engagement followed in ’92 and were married November 1993 in Bakersfield, CA. We’re getting close to our 28th anniversary…swoon… 🙂
Beth,
Glad you’re still swooning after 28 years. Love it!
We were married May 8, 2004 (celebrating 17 years this Saturday 🙂 We had dated for 4 years before getting engaged and had a 6 month engagement. We met in 1999 through mutual friends while camping. We were married in my church that I grew up in (Ontario, CANADA!) and had a reception at a local community center.
P.S. Really praying for Sarah to find healing and be well again…she is on the top of my prayer list and she pops in my mind frequently!
Monique,
How encouraging to know that Sarah is so strong on your mind and in your prayers throughout the day. That means the world to us.
That was a very fortuitous camping trip, wasn’t it? Hooray for mutual friends!
We met in July of 1982, we were both in the wedding party of my best friend. We got engaged in October of 1982 and were married on November 19, 1983 at my family church, Manor Road United Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We will be
Married 38 years this November.
Nancy,
How romantic to meet at a wedding! There is already romance swirling through the air; you both just reached up and grabbed some! Happy 38 years to you!
We were married on April 12, 1984. We met in college in the fall of 1981. Original plans were to be married in our hometown, but let’s just say for today that life can throw you a curve ball, so we eloped and got married in Illinois. Looking back, that was better than the original plan ever could have been.
Susan,
Yes, life definitely has a few curve balls to throw. So glad your elopement turned out to be the happiest marriage path for you and Scott.
We met in Sunday School class. It was College and Career Class and I think at least 6 (and probably more) marriages came out of that class! It helped that we were near a military base (Fort Lewis) and one guy brought a lot of friends one week! At least 5 of those marriages are still going! And that was about 34 years ago. We’ve been married 33 years. It was a running joke at church for a while about who was going to have their engagement announced each Sunday.
We got engaged 6 weeks after our first date and married 1 year and 6 days after our first date.
So glad Sarah is starting to feel a little better and able to eat, even if a little.
Praying for you guys!
Nicole,
God bless that guy who brought all his friends to church. And to think that half a dozen marriages came out of the class and are still going strong. That just warms my heart to hear when church is just a big part of a couples’ life experience. Thank you for the prayers!
I saw that at least part of my gift was delevered…so yay! I am still so sorry that I had that hiccup that caused Sarah trouble. I am so happy that she is getting to plan a little. She is in the prayers of many across the country, including my own sweet group of ladies.
Lisa,
Thanks to you AND your sweet group of ladies for praying. She has gotten out a little bit today, so that is definitely a step forward.
Thanks for your thoughtfulness in sending a gift; and no worries about any hiccups. We just appreciate you.
So glad to hear of small improvements! She’s just such a champ and I admire her greatly. She and Gage just seem like the perfect couple and I pray God blesses them tremendously in the coming days and years!
Married in 1992 after dating 5.5 years (high school sweethearts) in Athens, Ga after graduating from UGA – go Dawgs!
Suzanne,
I always love to hear high school sweetheart stories. 🙂
I don’t even know who the Dawgs are but I am yay-ing right along with you!
So happy Sarah is feeling a little better and was able to get out a some.
I met my husband Feb. 28, 1980 got engaged May 2, 1980 and got married Oct. 12, 1980 in my church in Wilson, NC. Still go there but they moved to a new location in 1990.
I guess when you know you found the right one, you know.
Happy wedding planning,
Love and hugs and prayers.
Joy,
So very true.
When you’ve found the right one, you know.
Happy and thankful to read about her progress. They are such a beautiful couple inside and out! Met my husband July of ’93, we were engaged exactly 2 months later, and married New Years Day of ’94. Prayers and hugs for you all.
Angie,
When you know you’ve found someone good, why wait, right? It’s amazing how fast things can transpire in a person’s life when the time and circumstances are right.
So happy Sarah is feeling a bit better and I trust God for a beautiful wedding day. I met my husband to be in 1969 and when I was fifteen. He was seventeen years old and we dated for the following 6 1/2 years. We finally married on June 7, 1975 one week following college graduation. We will celebrate 46 years of marriage very soon.
Thankful for small improvements! Still praying for that miracle!
Richard and I met in 1973 at what used to be Roanoke Bible College and is now Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City NC. I was a sophomore, he a freshman. We married on March 29, 1975 at Lowland Church of Christ in Lowland NC. Not that far from you as the crow flies.
He’s from Chesapeake Va and I’m from Lowland! We met in the middle! Been ministering ever since! NC, Indiana for 30 years and now Knoxville for the last 5.
Good luck on your to do list! I promise everything will get done and we can’t wait for the wedding day!
So happy Sarah is feeling a little better. Baby steps! My husband and I met in High School and married in 1974 in Kansas. We are still together and getting ready for our 47 anniversary the end of this month.
Hope your appointment goes well.
I met my husband in February of 1975. We married in September 1975. Celebrate 46 years this fall!!
We were married at home in Charlotte, NC.
I had mono in 6th grade…they think I had a reactivation in early Dec. Or they call it epstein barr. I never ran fever but it made my ferritin levels go up…its such a weird thing. I felt like someone beat me and the fatigue was horrible. Walking up the stairs was a big chore… Tell Sarah I said Hi and I have been praying for her.
2017
7 years
Fayetteville NC
Praying that Sarah continues to improve and is able to fully enjoy her wedding!! I’ve been married since 1998 we knew each other for 2 years before we got married in Virginia and he still takes my breath away when he walks into a room ❤️
I’m so happy to hear Sarah is feeling a bit better. What a keeper Gage is, such a sweet, caring young man.
I met my husband in 1996, we dated for six months prior to marriage and we married in a small southern suburb of Chicago on a warm Memorial Day weekend .
So glad Sarah is feeling a bit better. Pray her appetite picks up. We got married in 2007. I had been going to the church for 3 years, but only knew him as the pastor and didn’t interact at all. He asked me out in Sept. 2006 and we married in June of 2007 in Artesia CA.