Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Thirty Years Strong: Anniversary Stories

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This month marks thirty years—count ‘em, THIRTY YEARS—that John and I have been married.  Who woulda thunk it? Last week, I regaled you with stories of our wedding and honeymoon. This year, I’ll share an anniversary story or two! I hope you enjoy them as much as I love telling them.

Wedding bells rang for us on May 25, 1996. ALMOST six months after the wedding (November 12, 1996), I emailed John to tell him I had a little surprise to give him for our six-month anniversary (World’s Finest Chocolate candy bar WITH almonds. He loves them!).

John told his co-worker, “Ellen has a present for me. Today is our six-month anniversary!” 

“I thought y’all got married at the end of the month—like around Memorial Day?” 

“You’re right! We got married on the 25th of May…” 

Back at my job, I’m in ignorant bliss. I can’t wait to get home and give my new hubby his present. I was so excited, I could hardly contain myself. That’s why I had to e-mail him. I wanted him to know I thought about him on our first milestone. I mean, six months, what an accomplishment!

At 5:30 that afternoon, I walked through the door of our home, candy bar hidden behind my back. I was grinning from ear to ear. Then I saw John’s face. In that instant, I realized what I had done. I messed up BIG TIME! I got the day confused with my ex-anniversary date (12th versus 25th)! OH NO! Was my face red! But he forgave me and ate his candy bar anyway.

On our first anniversary, I received a beautiful bouquet at work. I opened the card, anticipating a sentimental message from my sweet man. The card read “Thank you for the best 12 years of my life! Love, John” 

12 YEARS?!?! How about 12 MONTHS!!!

Oops! The florist messed up the message…or was it payback for the six-month anniversary fiasco on the 12th of November?!?

With that not-so-stellar beginning to our marriage, some people may have thought we would never make it thirty years. Praise God, we did!

Overall, it’s been a wonderful and fun three decades. Yes, we’ve had some bumps in the road, but we didn’t let them drag us down. The most important thing we have done for our marriage is to place Jesus Christ at the center. Has this been easy? Are we perfect at this? No, but with God’s grace, we persevere. 

 I was thinking about our years together last week. I wept with joy, so thankful for the man God brought into my life to be my forever husband. Scripture tells us to remember the things God has done for us. I am remembering today that He placed a wonderful man in my life, to be my husband, to have and to hold until death do us part.

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm  126:3 NIV

Happy 30 years, John Chauvin!

Celebrating Thirty Years: Wedding Stories

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John and I will celebrate thirty years of marriage this month! My, how time flies when you’re having fun! Why, it seemed like just yesterday when…

…I explained ever so lovingly to my sweet Daddy that I would like to have my two brothers walk me down the aisle when John and I married.  

Daddy had the honor at my first wedding, but he had become more feeble over the years. I knew I would be the one holding him up if he escorted me.  

If you know me, you know I can cry real tears at the drop of a hat. I inherited that tender-hearted trait from my Daddy. I could well imagine him sobbing, hanging on my arm, and shedding rivers of tears, all while I’m carrying him down the aisle and trying not to cry!

In addition, I wanted my two brothers as a “show of force.” I had been through one divorce, and I wanted to make sure John was absolutely positive this would be a “forever” marriage. I’m pretty sure he imagined the brothers with guns hidden under their jackets! And that’s ok.

…We looked back at our wedding pictures, and saw a stranger! All my family from Mississippi had driven over to Louisiana for the nuptials. I couldn’t wait to see the group shots with my whole family. Every single person! 

Turns out, my great-niece had brought one of her little friends along to keep her company. This friend was in EVERY SINGLE family picture we took. As a matter of fact, she showed up in my in-laws’ family picture, too! 

What a memory! After thirty years, we still laugh about our “adopted” relative in the wedding pictures.

…I burst into tears on our honeymoon. No, it wasn’t the nightmare you may be imagining! We went to Natchez, MS, a very historic and quaint town, with many antebellum homes and a slew of antique stores. John and I love browsing through antique shops. On the way out of one store, I glanced at a picture hanging above the door and promptly burst into tears!The Picture

It looked just like a framed picture my Mama had in our home growing up.  I had such fond memories of that picture, and eventually Mama gave it to me. I never hung it, because my ex-husband didn’t really care for it. 

After the divorce, I had a garage sale and sold that beautiful picture for $10.  Money was tight, and I knew I would need to downsize.  A month or so after the sale, I was visiting friends and saw the picture! It was the same, except with a different frame.  I asked about it, and they told me it had been in their family for many years. I told them the story of my picture and how I sold it for $10. They almost fainted. “It’s an antique! It’s worth much more than that!”

When I saw that picture in the Natchez antique store, all the pre-wedding and wedding emotions came pouring out! As we walked around the block, I flooded my new husband with tears and told him the story of “my” picture.  

He went back to the store and bargained with the owner to buy the picture.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough cash with us! Not to be outdone, John and I walked up and down the streets of that little town looking for an ATM—and found one! He purchased the picture and gave it to me as a wedding gift!

Mama and Daddy did not know I had to sell their precious picture.  After the honeymoon, I finally had to ‘fess up. I cried, my Daddy cried, Mama shed a few tears, and I think John may have cried a bit himself. 

Mama and Daddy had loved John from the get-go, because he always opened my car door for me (still does). After they found out he purchased “my” family picture to hang on the walls of our home, they loved him even more! 

Yep, time sure does fly when you’re having fun!

Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (HCSB) 

Happy anniversary, John Chauvin!