As incoming President of the Kiwanis Club of Cleveland, I recently had the distinct pleasure of serving as a delegate at the Kiwanis International Conference. After holding the conference in previous years in places like Toronto, Tokyo, and now next year in Geneva, Switzerland, this year I learn, they hold it in Las Vegas (they must have known I was coming). As we walked through the convention center during the conference, a woman walked up to us and said, “Do you want to get married . . . by Elvis?”
Now, since I began writing this column, I have been asked some strange questions, but this one was definitely unique. Anywhere else, this question would have seemed out of place, but considering the fact we were in Las Vegas, it seemed just about right. So of course, my wife and l almost immediately and simultaneously said, “Yes!” It was actually quite a coincidence she asked, because when we were engaged, we often joked about slipping off to Las Vegas and getting married by Elvis. Now we were faced with the real life opportunity.
Following our positive response, the woman quickly warned us, “Now this is for real, it will be official, Elvis is an ordained minister.” We took pause. A few thoughts ran through my head. First, I thought wouldn’t it be funny if the real Elvis really was an ordained minister and had done weddings when he was performing in Vegas? Second, I figured it would be legal to get married since I had already been married for over six years (assuming I was marrying the same woman, which after a quick inspection, I was). Lastly, I wondered if my wife would actually agree to marry me again, considering she has spent six years getting to know me (for all of you who were wondering, she did).
Despite the warning, we agreed to go ahead with the ceremony. We introduced ourselves to Elvis (he was slightly shorter than I had imagined) and he quickly reminded us again that he was an ordained minister and that this was a real ceremony. I wondered for a moment why they were so persistent on making this point clear and then I had a picture of some unsuspecting couple out on their first date, thinking this would be cute, going through a “mock” wedding ceremony, only to find out after the fact that they had actually been married by an ordained minister impersonating Elvis (it might make a great reality TV show). After the reminder that I was indeed going through an official marriage ceremony with my wife, he informed us that he had left his guitar in the trunk of his car. This was almost a deal breaker. What kind of self-respecting Elvis would leave his guitar in the trunk of his car when he planned on doing wedding ceremonies? I bet the real Elvis would have never allowed that to happen. Nonetheless, I had become overwhelmed with wedding fever and agreed to go through with the ceremony, despite the absence of the guitar.
We jumped into the ceremony and with a number of Kiwanians observing, my wife agreed to, “Love Me Tender” and never leave me at “Heartbreak Hotel”. I, in turn, agreed to not be a “Hound Dog” and be her, “Big Hunk O’Love,” while having a “Burning Love” for her for all of my days.
Just like that, we went from attending a International Kiwanis Conference to being on our second honeymoon, Viva Las Vegas! I guess after six years of marriage, renewing our vows made the old Elvis ballad, “I Can’t Help Falling In Love with You” true once again.
Showing posts with label Marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marriage. Show all posts
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Marriage 101 - Class is now in session
My wife and I recently celebrated a benchmark in our marriage as another anniversary has passed. We have traditionally participated in activities that would celebrate this event, but this year we did more than that this year as we took a walk down memory lane and the lessons learned from those experiences.
So, I am sure you are asking yourselves, what have I learned? Well, the first thing I learned was that I eat cereal loudly. You may be wondering how, exactly, can a person eat cereal loudly? I don’t know, but apparently I do and it also seemed to annoy my wife to no end. I have made a concerted effort to improve the volume of my cereal consumption, but to no avail. Now I simply schedule my morning eating habits at times where my wife is in another room.
What else? I learned I would not have this column (or at least I’d have a lot less material). I believe it would be much more difficult to sell the idea of a bachelor having a weekly column journaling the ups and downs of family life. I also know that I would be missing so many moments that fill my heart with joy. The feeling that grows within you when someone says, “I do” on your wedding day is indescribable. As your family grows, the feeling of hearing your children say, “Daddy, I love you.” goes even further as you realize you have created a family, a family based on love and support.
But that is not all I have learned, my wife is an outstanding teacher from whom I have learned much; I learned that a duct tape wallet is not nearly as cool as I thought it was. I learned that some people like milk in their macaroni and cheese. I learned that some people get dizzy and headaches from watching the way I flip channels with the remote control. I learned my feet are not pretty (I think the term she uses is hideous, but I think that might be just a tad harsh). I learned that my daily time in the bathroom is excessively long. I learned that not everyone loves survival television shows. I learned that some people think it is strange to set the alarm clock on odd numbers only. I learned that blowing your nose in the shower is disgusting. I learned that I actually do snore (although I have seen no actual physical evidence of this alleged fact). And I have been ACCUSSED of not being a good listener, but my list of lessons learned above would suggest otherwise.
In summary, what have I learned from this relationship, this marriage? In spite of the aforementioned annoyances, I know my wife loves me “warts and all.” And all kidding aside, the most important thing I have learned, not only in my marriage, but in my life, is that when we have the right people surrounding us, whether they are friends, co-workers, family, or a spouse, we can become better people, inspired to reach new heights, challenged to think differently and from new perspectives, and to love something beyond ourselves. I learned that marriage can be a wonderful gift, as well as an incredible learning experience.
So, I am sure you are asking yourselves, what have I learned? Well, the first thing I learned was that I eat cereal loudly. You may be wondering how, exactly, can a person eat cereal loudly? I don’t know, but apparently I do and it also seemed to annoy my wife to no end. I have made a concerted effort to improve the volume of my cereal consumption, but to no avail. Now I simply schedule my morning eating habits at times where my wife is in another room.
What else? I learned I would not have this column (or at least I’d have a lot less material). I believe it would be much more difficult to sell the idea of a bachelor having a weekly column journaling the ups and downs of family life. I also know that I would be missing so many moments that fill my heart with joy. The feeling that grows within you when someone says, “I do” on your wedding day is indescribable. As your family grows, the feeling of hearing your children say, “Daddy, I love you.” goes even further as you realize you have created a family, a family based on love and support.
But that is not all I have learned, my wife is an outstanding teacher from whom I have learned much; I learned that a duct tape wallet is not nearly as cool as I thought it was. I learned that some people like milk in their macaroni and cheese. I learned that some people get dizzy and headaches from watching the way I flip channels with the remote control. I learned my feet are not pretty (I think the term she uses is hideous, but I think that might be just a tad harsh). I learned that my daily time in the bathroom is excessively long. I learned that not everyone loves survival television shows. I learned that some people think it is strange to set the alarm clock on odd numbers only. I learned that blowing your nose in the shower is disgusting. I learned that I actually do snore (although I have seen no actual physical evidence of this alleged fact). And I have been ACCUSSED of not being a good listener, but my list of lessons learned above would suggest otherwise.
In summary, what have I learned from this relationship, this marriage? In spite of the aforementioned annoyances, I know my wife loves me “warts and all.” And all kidding aside, the most important thing I have learned, not only in my marriage, but in my life, is that when we have the right people surrounding us, whether they are friends, co-workers, family, or a spouse, we can become better people, inspired to reach new heights, challenged to think differently and from new perspectives, and to love something beyond ourselves. I learned that marriage can be a wonderful gift, as well as an incredible learning experience.
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