Happy Third Semi-Annual Anniversary!

Three and a half years ago today, on April 22, 2005, Avram and I were married. That makes this our Third Semi-Annual Anniversary. For our Third anniversary we went to Oxford and ate Cornish Pasties (made in Cornwall, even) and had locally made deliscious ice cream. Lydia was with us, as the only time she was babysat in England was while I was in the hospital delivering Elisheva, and I was only six days away from delivery. Not exactly the most exciting anniversary, but they can't all be, I suppose. So indulge me while I remember our wedding now. Besides, I'm on a kick of posting old pretty pictures. Don't worry, I don't have too many that fit in that description, I'll stop this craziness soon.
First we have my wedding dress. I wanted a large, princess, poofy wedding dress. Completely against tradition, Avram accompanied me (and was usually the only other person with me) while wedding dress shopping. I found this dress in a tiny, elegant little wedding dress shop on Center Street in Provo. It laced up the back, and took ten minutes to get into. But oh, how I loved it! I have lots of guilt for having bought (my mother in law actually bought it) a $500 dollar dress, that I didn't actually even wear when I got married (I wore a temple dress, because I wanted to be married in long sleeves. Ideally I would have bought a long sleeved wedding dress, but I couldn't find any). I wish that someone else would wear it. But I love poofy princess dresses, and I knew that this would liably be the only time in my life I'd have the opportunity to wear one.

I'd give it away, if I could to extend its usefulness, but no one in Ohio wears dresses with sleeves. Anyone want a wedding dress? I'll ship it to you, for free. I'm serious. Tell all your friends and unmarried relations. (It's a size four, but I wear a size six or eight normally (sometimes even ten), so it'll fit you too.) Okay, so I'll stop sounding like a used car salesman, but remember, I'm serious. Take my dress. Use it. Love it.Here's Avram looking debonair. It was the one day in his life he got to dress in a tuxedo with tails, a top hat, and spats. My husband is a secret clothes horse, but doesn't have the means to support this kind of dress. Matt took this picture; many of the pictures I'm posting were by him. That's why there are several pictures of the lovely Frau Magister, his now wife. She got to wear Avram's top hat during the reception because Avram won't wear a hat indoors. Matt was my favorite kind of wedding photographer (as well as my neighbor Pat Geisler, but her pictures were with film, and so although I have the hard copies I don't have good copies for here) - the free kind. Amy didn't want to do the wedding pictures because she hates doing wedding photos when she's actually part of the celebration, as with family.We were married at the Salt Lake Temple. Unlike most people who are married there, The Salt Lake Temple was actually in my temple district growing up. I tell myself this to sound unique and individual. Avram wanted to be married in the Provo temple, but I had spent my whole childhood planning to be married in Salt Lake. I think getting married in the Provo Temple is great. It's a greatly underutilized temple.

I loved our wedding (who doesn't?). I love being married for time and eternity. I still remember at least one piece of counsel that our sealer gave us, which was to pray together every night, and to kiss each other goodnight and say "I love you" every night as well. I remember Amy telling me she loved all the advice he gave, and we should remember it, but unfortunatly I didn't write it all down that day. Wedding days are blurry like that.
The Shannon family official wedding pose thingy. Avram was worried that the picture looked like he was looking down my dress. So let it be known officially he was not.

We got married at three pm, and had a luncheon at eleven before that. We had quiche and hashbrowns and bananas. My bridesmaids were: Amy, Camilla, Tali, Mandie, Mary, Halley (all my sisters), then Martha, Christa, and Michele. Avram just had Samuel his brother as his best man, and Travis was our brides/groomsman. Carol and Kevin came down from Washington, which meant a lot to me. I love Carol.
Here I'm being a gargoyle. Travis and I used to joke that we were always the kind of people that we flamboyant and decorative. No one would call us real bricks (in the British slang usage). Here I embrace my gargoyleness to its fullness. ion wasn't too high class, which was just the way I wanted it. We had our reception at a ward in Camilla's mother in law's wardhouse. My family decorated with lots of tulle and fresh flowers from Costco, my sister Camilla did my hair and the bouquet, and Avram's Mom made the cake. Each layer was different; Pound cake for Avram, Chocolate for me, and the top layer was Sugar free lemon for her (she's diabetic). For food we had various kinds of breads and butters and a six foot Challah. We also had fresh fruit and vegetables. We cut the cake a half hour into the reception, because I love wedding cake, and I hate going to weddings where they never cut the cake. We also did not have fondant, but rather had buttercream, because I think taste is paramount to all things in cake.

Most of our wedding we danced. Because honestly, what else is there to do at receptions? Our line was only a half hour long, because I think lines are boring (although we expressly said when the line was on our invitations, so if someone thought it was important to go through the line they could arrive at that time). The rest of the time we danced. Avram's brother Joshua and we had picked out all the music ahead of time, but somehow the day of the list got lost, so he played whatever came to hand. Including at one point the Macarena. The bests part of dancing at weddings are all of the good future blackmailing opportunities they provide. Samuel, I have many more pictures of this calibre I can pull out at will unless you're really nice to me. (I thought you'd like to know as I was downsizing this picture Lydia looked at it in excitment and exlaimed, "Uncle Samuel!" She remembers you. She also remembers Aleatha and will often mention her. Once she even told us that Aleatha would fly a plane with family in it with her.)

While I went and changed at the end of the reception, Avram kept on dancing with all of his brothers. They danced to Thriller, by Michael Jackson. See what I told you about blackmail?

Happy Third Semi-Annual Anniversary! I think I'll go have some chocolate cake I happen to have to celebrate....

And remember; please take my dress. Pretty Please.