Thirty Three

Tomorrow, January 3, 2020, marks Wifey and my 33rd wedding anniversary. First, I have to clear something up. D1 and Joey didn't get a new puppy. Madeleine, the Spoiled Spaniel, is the only canine of their house. No -- far more significantly -- on December 17, 2019, D1 and Joey made us grandparents -- a beautiful baby boy! They wished to remain chill with social media, and we of course complied, but it was by far the best birthday gift Wifey could have hoped for -- and anniversary gift, too!

But back to the beginning of our immediate family. On January 2, 1987, our beloved Canes played Penn State. The Canes were the superior team, and heavily favored to win our second national championship. Instead, dumbass Vinny Testaverde threw 4 picks, and Penn State upset us. Several of my groomsmen turned to me, and said "Wedding's off now, right?" Wifey didn't find that very funny...

Instead, we checked into the Hyatt Regency Downtown, and met under the chuppah in the Tuttle/Monroe ballrooms, which my mother in law kept calling the Marilyn Monroe room. The Rabbi was a nice man named Lipson, who we barely knew -- he was a relief rabbi, who my friend Eric's Mom Norma found last minute, to take the place of creepy Mark Kram. I say he's creepy, because after sucking Wifey and me in with pre marital classes, and "I will be the third member of your marriage" crap, he chose a last minute free trip to Israel rather than perform our wedding.

D2 loves when I tell the story in Curly's voice: "But I thought we was pahtners???!!!" We were not, and Kram's  betrayal turned Wifey and I so far away from organized Judaism that it took the miracle of befriending a Chabad Rabbi, Yossi, and his wonderful wife Nechama, to bring us back to the fold...

Anyway, I walked down the aisle, and turned as my now late father in law Richard, usually a very graceful, big man, nervously took out three flower arrangements on his way down. My Uncle Marty escorted my mother. My nephew PJ, a gorgeous nearly 5 year old, bore the ring. Of Wifey's 4 bridesmaids, she's only still close with two now.

I had a large corps of groomsmen -- 7 in all. One is fully out of my life, and will be forever, two now distant friends I rarely speak to, but 4 are still my brothers: Jeff, Mike, Eric, and Barry. In fact, three were at our grandson's bris, and Mike would have been had he not been vacationing in Colorado...

After Rabbi Lipson finished his ceremony, he told me to kiss Wifey, and I went to, but in a surreal scene, her head was pulled away and to the side. Her mother was so overcome, she grabbed her first, and kissed her. I patiently waited my turn.

We had a terrific time. Our friend Elizabeth was then married to a rock singer, Pat Travers, who had 3 gold records. He wasn't the type to play with a wedding band , but he had such a great time, he did, and was terrific. Unfortunately, so did Wifey's friend Eileen, who thought she was a singer, but really wasn't.

While Pat led the band in a great rendition of "Good Lovin," Eileen sand "Gimme Some Lovin." Pat took control and saved the performance. Everyone just had a blast. Eileen just loved being the center of attention...

My mother agreed to pay to keep the band playing longer. It was wonderful.

After we got to the room, Wifey and I performed the traditional ritual of a newly married couple. We got into bed, took off our formal clothes... and counted up all the checks and cash. My aunts and uncles and cousins were hilariously cheap. My Aunt Florence and her entire family (10 of them) gave us a check for $25, plus, a $20 savings bond my late grandmother had asked her to pass along.

Wifey's family, and my in laws friends, were very generous. Apparently the immigrant Jews were known for trying to out do each other when giving to their kids for weddings. We appreciated it greatly -- in fact, we paid off one of my law school loans with gift money from my in laws' family and friends.

I paid for pizza at the next football watch party with the gifts from my extended family. Not that I remember this three decades later...

We left for 4 nights in Jamaica -- all we could afford, and then returned to our little and charming house in East Kendall, and our life together.  Wifey wondered whether she would be very maternal, and then D1 came and Wifey indeed became VERY VERY maternal -- turning a 3 month maternity leave into -- well -- full time motherhood.

Then D2 came in a very tumultuous and wonderful year -- 1992. I made my first big money -- really life changing money -- we went from living paycheck to paycheck to having some real financial cushion. And then came Hurricane Andrew -- and literally blew away our house, and wrecked most of our stuff -- teaching us that stuff was crap -- a lesson we never forgot.

And the Ds grew into absurdly wonderful women, and picked absurdly wonderful men, and the oldest is now a mother, and the youngest about to get married -- three weeks from this Sunday.

For our tenth anniversary, Wifey and I chose to spend the weekend at a hotel near where I asked her to marry me -- on South Beach, near 13th Street. We chose the Betsy Ross, and had a lovely time. Well -- D2 and Jonathan will marry there -- just over 23 years later.  I love that THEIR chuppah will be in sight of the beautiful ocean, and the spirit of my late parents...

So tomorrow, I thought about a romantic dinner, to celebrate. And then Rabbi Yossi called, to tell me that they had invited D2 and Jonathan for shabbat dinner -- along with Jonathan's folks. Wifey agreed -- no better way to celebrate. And D1 and Joey and our new man Jaco Hy will be there in spirit.

I can never thank Wifey enough for the life she has given me. And it all began three decades and three years ago, tomorrow. If there has been a better life voyage, well, I don't know what it is.