39 years ago on June 18, 1971 we were crazy kids and we got married. We were 17 and 18 and had nothing but an old Mustang and a few hundred dollars between us. We absolutely didn't care about any of the practical things, the planning or the wedding. We were in love.
We loved our first apartment and furnished it with hand-me downs. It was ours and that was all that mattered. We began to create a home where everyone was welcome. We could always stretch the Kool Aid and spaghetti to feed a couple more and we did. We played cards and ate popcorn until the wee hours of the mornings with Debbie and Jim. We worked 2 and 3 jobs and still managed to have time together. We listened to Stairway to Heaven and American Pie on an old stereo and we couldn't have been happier.
When the first "good job" was paying 5.92 an hour, we were ready to have a baby and make our lives complete. Soon our beautiful Catherine was born and now we needed a house and a dog. We paid more for our 2004 Chevrolet than we paid for that first house, but we got the dog, fenced in the yard, put in a sandbox and soon Karen was born. By this time, brother Mark had joined our family and we needed a bigger house. With promotions coming along (and Joe sometimes working 2nd jobs) we bought the next house and added Joey to the family. We adored our daughters, but now we finally had a son!
In spite of numerous promotions, the economy was taking it's toll and Michigan salaries were not rising, although our family was growing. We moved to Florida where the jobs were plenty and the pay was wonderful. The sunshine and beaches were like magic after Michigan's days. Our life with the National Enquirer had begun. It was an adventure for 8 years! We met movie stars, spent our evenings on our boat and had wonderful parties with all our friends. It was a wonderful time of our lives.
One day we realized with 3 children in school that the opportunities for education were just not as good as we had in Michigan. All our friends were trying to get their children into private schools and crime was rising in our area. We soon headed home to Michigan and nestled into small town life in Charlotte in a huge, old house with 5 bedrooms. We still joke about the need to fill those rooms.
Michael and Andrew soon joined siblings, who were in Jr High and High School. It was like the whole family had new pets. We passed them around and they had a multitude of people loving them. Nothing was cuter than Mike in a Batman costume, trying to fly or Andy sleeping with his baseball mitt. Cathy went off to U of M and later the Air Force3, Karen got married and made us grandparents and Joey soon did the same.
This photo was taken in 2006, 27 years later and we had grown to 15 of us. (Joe was posing everyone, while I photographed.) I think it is the last photo of us all together.
We experienced the terrible loss of our Karen along soon after this photo, but we remain a strong and loving family. We are spread so far away geographically, but we remain in touch daily. It takes about a minute for Joey and Cat to know what is going on at home. The internet is fast and nobody keeps a secret in this family.
We have added beautiful little Soleil to our family and we are now 15 strong again.
Tonight, as we sat listening to 1970's music, the memories flooded me. Most of them were good ones and I remain convinced, the best is yet to come.
