9 years ago today...

9 years ago today I was counting down the hours until my 2:00PM wedding.

9 years ago today I couldn't believe my wedding day had finally arrived.

9 years ago today I was counting my blessings...I was about to marry the man of my dreams.

9 years ago today I was trying to force myself to eat some lunch but was too excited to eat much of my turkey sandwich.

9 years ago today I arrived at the church to be surrounded by my loving bridesmaids--my sister Cat, my two best friends Ann and Emily (who arrived with a bag of Burger King), my good friend Nicole and Brian's sister Kristin.

9 years ago today Cat couldn't find the earrings she owned that matched the ones I had given all the other bridesmaids to wear for the wedding and had to borrow a pair from my mom.

9 years ago today I wore the same garter (my something blue) that my sister had worn the summer before (borrowed from my brother who caught it at my sister's reception).

9 years ago today I wore my mom's pearls (my something borrowed) and carried a handkerchief my great grandmother had made (my something old) in my bouquet.

9 years ago today I waited for the rain sprinkles to stop so I could take pictures in the church garden with my family and my bridesmaids. All I could think about was that Brian would be here soon doing the same thing with his family and groomsmen.

9 years ago today I walked down the aisle in the dress of my dreams (I felt like a princess) with my dad by my side (I always was Daddy's little girl and I got teary walking with him).

9 years ago today I had a huge smile on my face as I spotted Brian waiting for me.

9 years ago today we had a short and sweet Presbyterian wedding ceremony.

9 years ago today my husband kissed his bride...twice.

9 years ago today we posed for pictures as husband and wife with our two remaining grandparents--my Granddaddy and Brian's Grandma Marlowe. Granddaddy was so proud of himself for wearing the exact same powder blue tuxedo he had worn to my sister's wedding the summer before.

9 years ago today I was missing my grandmother who had just passed away in June.

9 years ago today the photographer kicked everyone else out of the church so Brian and I could have a moment or two alone as husband and wife.

9 years ago today I rode a trolley with Brian and our wedding party from the church to the reception. My future sister-in-law Shelley had decorated it complete with a flower-covered cooler full of champagne.

9 years ago today I partied with tons of friends and family at a beautiful wedding reception.

9 years ago today everything was a blur as I tried to talk to everyone while being with Brian as much as possible. I couldn't believe he was really my husband.

9 years ago today I realized how truly blessed I was to have so many friends and such an amazing, yet crazy, family.

9 years ago today all my guests disappeared as everyone wandered outside to enjoy a beautiful summer afternoon in Virginia.

9 years ago today my two best friends smoked cigars with my dad and my uncles and humored them all immensely.

9 years ago today Brian and I had our first dance to "Never My Love" and I had to keep reminding him to move his feet.

9 years ago today my dad put Brian's dancing to shame by twirling me all over the dance floor.

9 years ago today I danced with my grandfather--worrying the whole time that he was going to fall over.

9 years ago today Brian's six year old cousin kept dragging me out to the dance floor to dance.

9 years ago today I felt such pride that one of the beers on tap was "Brian's beer" that he had brought from the brewery in Ohio where he was the brewmaster.

9 years ago today I kept trying to enjoy some of the delicious food and kept getting pulled away for some official part of the reception like photographs, first dances or cake cutting--at least someone (thanks, Kate) brought me a beer.

9 years ago today I kindly fed Brian a piece of cake and then was horrified to hear him say that he was going to push cake in my face. (It only took about 8 1/2 years to forgive him for that one.)

9 years ago today our limo got lost on its way to pick Brian and I up from the reception and the band kindly played an extra hour.

9 years ago today we were faking our exit for the photographer who needed to get home to his babysitter when our limo finally showed up. My wonderful brother-in-law (thanks, Ron) had just offered to drive us an hour to Charlottesville where we had an early AM flight.

9 years ago today we left our reception wearing a Minnie Mouse veil and a Mickey Mouse top hat because Brian had just been in Orlando for the World Brewing Conference.

9 years ago today Brian and I made out like teenagers in the back of a limo since we hadn't been in the same state for months and, well, we'd just gotten married.

9 years ago today Brian and I said "I do" and I felt so very blessed to have met such a wonderful, loving, sexy man who loved me so very much.

9 years ago today I had no idea what the future might hold, but I knew who would be holding me in the future.

Happy Anniversary, love! Thanks for 9 wonderful years. I never would have guessed all the twists and turns our lives would take together. I can't wait to see what the future might hold! Here's to many many more years together. I love you so much!