The Big 2-0

Just hit the Big TWO-O...no not 20-years-old...but 20 years of marriage. Time does slip by quickly as they say. It seems like yesterday that we tied the knot on Aug. 18...20 years ago today.

It also seems like yesterday that I was planning our New Hampshire wedding from Connecticut. We got married on a sandy beach of Lake Winnipesaukee and had our reception at the Margate Hotel. It was a small wedding because my late mother had just gotten out of a rehabiliation facility after spending months there in recovery of a massive stroke. We later had a huge reception back in Connecticut and it was great because I was able to wear my wedding dress twice.

I never did change my last name to my husband's name. I thought about it for about 10 seconds when we were at Town Hall filling out the paperwork for our marriage license. I realized then that I had already been an established journalist at the time and was known by my own name. Also we were moving into my apartment - which was in my name, as were the phone, gas and electric. It would have been a pain to change it and my hubby-to-be did not mind (he's a sports editor at the Connecticut Post), and I agreed he did not have to wear a wedding ring if he did not want to and he did not.

Over the past 20 years it has not been much of a problem having different names. One exception was our veterinary office. When I registered my dog (after almost 12 years we had to put our dog down in January) Quincy as a new patient 11 years ago, he was registered under my last name. Every time my husband would call to make an appointment or order new pills, he would have to say: Hi, this is Mr. Pelton...I laughed every time he had to say that.

I must say that I am grateful for my husband - we have had our ups and downs like every other couple and get on each others nerves like everyone else - but I'm blessed to have him in my life. Happy anniversary Gino Moretti...let's see where the next 20 years take us.

(Note: we went back to the Margate this week to celebrate our anniversary!)