Mr Anniversary Gift

Gene and Elinor Coleman celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary Tuesday -- a marriage that may be the state's longest.

Official records aren't kept so no one knows for certain. But the Colemans have been married long enough that their anniversary brought plenty of attention to their one-story, clapboard house with a cuckoo clock in this community southwest of Tulsa.

He is 96 and she is 94, and Coleman says most days "we sit here and look at each other." That, he says, is a blessing because "we're lucky that both of us are still here to look at."

And after all these years, they still sit together like newlyweds, with his arm around her.

"When we got married, people got married to be married," says Elinor. "They made a vow, `Until death do us part,' and we didn't feel like we would break that vow."

Their marriage has never been perfect, she says, "because perfect doesn't exist."

Coleman says that since September 29 he and Elinor have "answered more questions than George Bush."

That was the day the couple went to the Tulsa State Fair to attend a banquet for people married more than 50 years. Of all the people there -- "it seemed like a thousand people to me," says Coleman -- no one had been married longer than the Colemans.

They met on a blind double date, although they had actually seen each other previously.

"It was at a box supper," he said. "I was sitting on the second row from the front, and I heard somebody behind me drop a chair. I turned around to see what was happening, and there was the prettiest girl I ever saw."

They would be married seven months later on Thanksgiving Day -- Nov. 28, 1929.

One of their sons died in 1992 of a heart attack at age 52. "You never get over losing a child, no matter how old the child is," says Elinor. "Emotionally, that's as bad as it gets."

They have two other sons, five grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Coleman says he hopes they make it to their 80th anniversary.

But, says Elinor, "We can't control that. Only God knows."

Says Coleman, "But we can try. We can try."

Source

Stories like this touch my heart in such an incredible way.  Having watched my own grandparents thrive in their marriage for 54 years - and having heard their stories - it's amazing to think of the truly difficult times couples such as the Coleman's have come through.

Nothing like the couples today.  No one knows what it's like to survive the great depression - the ups and downs of the economy - the ever changing enviroment, the challenges of their own children and so much more.

To see a couple that's been married 77 years is truly a blessing in itself.

Congrats to the Colemans and thanks to them for being such an inspiration to so many.

Technorati Tags : anniversary, wedding, couple, oklahoma

A New Zealand couple's hot idea for a cool wedding -- tying the knot on an iceberg -- has been put on ice, local media reported Friday.

Lawyer Bridget Byers and builder Donald Wyatt from the southern city of Dunedin had planned to marry on one of the many icebergs floating off the east coast of the South Island, the Otago Daily Times reported.

But helicopter pilot Richard "Hannibal" Hayes, who was due to fly the pair and a marriage celebrant to one of the bergs, said plans were on hold because the job was too risky.

The slow thaw of the icebergs as they moved north meant they were constantly shedding ice, and it was difficult to find a safe haven for the lovebirds to land on.

It seems also that in a legal sense the pair were skating on thin ice.

New Zealand law required that people had to be within 12 nautical miles of the coast to be married legally, and the closest iceberg has been at least twice that distance from the coast.

Byers would not discuss the nuptials saying talks were under way with a woman's magazine over rights to cover the ceremony. But it remained unclear whether the couple would proceed with their plans.

Technorati Tags : wedding+idea, iceberg, new+zealand

About half of all marriages end in divorce. Couples who keep a wedding memory book might have a higher chance of succeeding. Did Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes or Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner make a wedding memory book? No, but they should have. Paul Allen--one of the original founders of MyFamily.com(a)--in talking about the importance of a wedding memory book said, "These have the potential to lower the divorce rate! During hard times, couples will be able to go back and remember why they love each other." Could it help Tom & Katie last longer than Tom & Nicole? Could Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner survive longer than the Hollywood norm? Probably. Take for instance Derek and Wendy Thomas (Provo, UT) who are quickly approaching their first anniversary. Time is flying by, but the memories of their courtship and wedding are not. Early in their engagement, Derek and Wendy decided to make an iMemoryBook wedding memory book to record their story.

Read this complete article via Yahoo News

Technorati Tags : Tom+Cruise, Katie+holmes, tomkat, ben+affleck, jennifer+garner, wedding, memory+book

A small Swedish town is searching for a bride-to-be who looks like Ingrid Bergman to re-enact the actress's first wedding in 1937.

The search was initiated by the folklore society in Stode, 235 miles north of Stockholm, to mark the 70th anniversary of Bergman's wedding to Petter Aron Lindstrom in the town church.

"We're looking for a Swedish look-alike, and it's going to be a real wedding — there won't be any cheating — and we'll pay for the wedding dress and dinner," said Gertrud Svensson, a deputy member of the society.

The wedding is planned for summer 2007 and, aside from featuring a look-alike bride and wedding dress, guests will be invited to dine on the original porcelain at the wedding party. The groom does not necessarily have to resemble Lindstrom, who came from Stode.

So far, the guest-list includes the daughter of Bergman and Lindstrom, Pia Lindstrom, as well as other family members living in Stode.

Bergman's films include "Casablanca," "Notorious," and "Anastasia." She won three Academy Awards and married three times, including to Italian director Roberto Rossellini. Bergman died of cancer in 1982 at the age of 67.

Via

Technorati Tags : ingrid+bergman, petter+aron+lindstrom, stockholm, pia+lindstrom, wedding, casablanca

Guess what I got for my 10th wedding anniversary recently? A romantic getaway at the Datai or a Trinity ring from Cartier? 

Neither. 

All I got was this remark: “Wah, we’ve been married for so long, ah?” 

Was I disappointed? Yes. Was he thinking, no need to wow the old cow? I hope not. 

But then, all the earlier anniversaries had been equally unspectacular. Given such sad statistics, why did I expect this year to be any different? Perhaps I thought 10 would be the magic number that would set a new trend.  

Or maybe it was just the eternal optimist in me. 

In all fairness, my hubby never declared he was romantic. Ten years ago, when I signed on the dotted line, I was fully aware that my partner in marriage would never go anywhere near a florist or croon love songs. 

Let me elaborate. It was almost Valentine’s Day when we started going out. Naturally, flowers and chocolates were highly anticipated. Imagine the great let-down when romantic stuff was not forthcoming! Uh oh, was the Prince Charming a mere frog?  

I wept buckets over the absence of a bouquet, and the guilty party got the silent treatment.  

Next Valentine’s Day, an adorable teddy bear materialised in my hand. While he should have been applauded for the initiative, I wasn’t thrilled. Why? The cute thing was handed in a pharmacy plastic bag, as he exclaimed casually: “Look what I found when I went to the pharmacy just now!” 

He might as well have said: “I was reaching for some dental floss when I noticed rows and rows of mushy stuff. It suddenly hit me what day it is today! I don’t want to repeat last year’s drama, so here’s your gift!”  

Back to the present. One thing I always get is my mum’s annual congratulatory phone call. It’s like getting an annual reminder of the painful fact, because she would unfailingly ask: “What did you get?”  

Either she’s asking just for the hell of it or optimism is truly in the genes.  

This year my response was: “Oh, the usual – Nothing. Not that I’m complaining. You know I have it all!” 

“Faking to have it all is more like it,” snorted mum, the ultimate lie detector. “Look, if it bothers you, just go and tell him what you want.” 

Hmm, what did I want?

Continue reading this article on The Star Online

Ahhh, how many of us women seem to have married the most unromantic men on the planet?  Although I have to admit - my husband does have his moments - and when he does, it's a genuine surprise --

Perhaps it would be worth recruiting the mothers or sisters of your husbands to remind them of the upcoming anniversaries and perhaps introduce Just Paper Roses - it's such a nice and easy way to keep the romance alive and they don't even have to go to the pharmacy to do it :)

I've heard it before and I'm sure I'll hear it again - but seriously men, you have got to wake up and listen!

Do not, I repeat - Do NOT give your wife any form of appliance or tool for your anniversary.

I remember one year as a youngster my father actually gave my mother a tool belt and some coveralls for their anniversary.

Today, my parents are divorced and I honestly can't say that I blame them.

Although it wasn't the tools and the coveralls that did it, it certainly didn't help - because it's been an ongoing joke in both family circles since.

Technorati Tags : anniversary, worst+gifts

It's official - Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have married and have now created the most famous anniversary, at least of my lifetime.

I personally can't believe all the fuss that's been created over this marriage, but for the sake of Suri Cruise, the couples baby daughter, I'm very glad they did.

So what do you think about the TomKat wedding?  Over the top?  Or are you one of those that doesn't really care one way or the other?

Technorati Tags : anniversary, tom+cruise, katie+holmes, suri+cruise, tomkat

While on my search for the longest married couple, I uncovered Frank and Anita Milford of Britain.  Check out what they have to say as to what their secret for a long and happy marriage is:

Lifetime lovers Frank and Anita Milford have reportedly become Britain's longest-married living couple after celebrating their 78th wedding anniversary.

The pair met as teenagers at a dance in Plymouth, southern England, in 1926 and married two years later.

Asked for the secret of their enduring union, Frank Milford, 98, a retired dock worker, was quoted in The Daily Telegraph as saying: "We don't always see eye to eye and we do have a small argument every day.

"But that comes and goes. We are always here for each other."

His 97-year-old wife added: "The key is give and take and lots of laughter."

With their relationship as strong as ever, the couple hope to beat the record for Britain's longest-ever marriage of 80 years, set by Percy and Florence Arrowsmith. Percy Arrowsmith died last year.

"There's every chance we could break that record," Anita Milford said.

"These days marriages don't last long. A lot of people get married with the idea that if it doesn't work out there's no worry, but we can't understand that."

Continue reading...

Technorati Tags : anniversary, wedding, married+couple

This record was set back in 2002 - thought it's likely to have been broken since then, I still find it facinating for any couple to have been together for so long.

Truly an amazing story!  Especially considering this was an arranged marriage and Yang Wan actually began living with and taking care of her future husband at the age of 5.

A Taiwanese man and woman married for 85 years have been certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest married couple.

The couple have officially out-done the former record holders - an American couple married for 83 years.

Liu Yung-yang, 103, and his wife Yang Wan, 102, held hands as they received the certificate at their home in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan on Monday.

They got married in April 1917, two years earlier than the American couple - William and Claudia Lillian Ritchie of Lexington, Kentucky.

About 40 of the couple's 110 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren gathered at their home on Monday as they were given the certificate.

read more...

Technorati Tags : wedding, anniversary, oldest+married+couple

Consider personalizing a decorative box and inside fill it with 365 slips of colored paper. On each slip of colored paper - write one reason as to why you love them.

One woman promised her husband that on every anniversary she would refill the box with 365 new slips of paper that were written throughout the year. Her husband now looks forward to reading some of those reasons every night and the wife enjoys writing them.

It's a nice simple way of saying I love you!

Of course you could include a dozen paper roses that simply say I love you to place just over the box of 365 reasons.

Technorati Tags : romantic+date+ideas, anniversary, gift, homemade

Take a trip to a nearby beach or lake and have a simple but elegant picnic by the water. Afterwards, take a long walk along the shore. When the sun starts to set...throw down a blanket and watch it as you're sitting side by side.

To conclude the date, offer your love a bouquet of beautiful roses by Just Paper Roses - they'll be a way to commemorate this memorable anniversary for many years to come.

Technorati Tags : anniversary, paper, roses, roses, date

Pretend you're a high class elegant couple getting all dressed up in your absolute finest. Have dinner at very nice or fancy restaurant. Afterwards, take a romantic walk in a local rose garden - only after the walk, give your date something to commemorate this special night with.  A beautiful bouquet of paper roses - specially enscribed just for you, her and your special night.

A gift she'll treasure for the rest of her life.

Technorati Tags : roses, paper, rose, date, idea

Prior to a date...stake out a nice secluded location near a park, beach, lake, rose garden, or "special place"...and leave a single paper rose along with a letter telling your sweetie how much they mean to you. After you're done with dinner, take your date to the special place where the rose and letter are. Let them stumble upon it -- of course after the date - you can return home where you'll have another 11 paper roses to go with the single rose from earlier in the evening.

Believe me, this would be a date she'll never forget!

Perfect to mark any anniversary as well.

Technorati Tags : anniversary, date, roses, paper, rose

I stumbled on this great little bit on proper and modern wedding etiquette.  How many did you know had changed and how many do you wish hadn't?

Wedding traditions can and do change. And, sometimes, traditions should change.

So says Peggy Post, the great-grand-daughter-in-law of Emily Post, today's leading authority on etiquette and the author of a dozen books.  As a well known etiquette expert, Post provides enlightened solutions to weddings questions.  

Here are a few established wedding traditions that have taken on a fresh twist in recent years:

Old: The bride's family pays for the wedding

New: Today, just 27 percent of weddings are paid for by the bride's family. Even a simple affair can have a significant cost, so it is not surprising that families attack this in different ways. The bride's family may pay. The couple themselves may pay, or the groom's family, the bride's family and the couple may share expenses. What's important is that the bride- and groom-to-be discuss the budget early to ensure a smooth path to the altar.

Old: There should be no more than six bridesmaids and six groomsmen.

New: You can have as many or as few attendants as you want; there is no maximum and minimum. Even at a big, formal wedding, just one or two attendants on each side are acceptable. Because groomsmen/ushers have the responsibility of seating guests at the ceremony, the rule of thumb is one usher for every 50 guests, and it's fine to have more ushers than bridesmaids.

Old: The bridal bouquet must be white or, at the very least, subdued.

New: Bouquets can be as beautiful and varied as the brides who carry them. Vibrant wildflowers, lavender roses that match the bridesmaids' dresses, the groom's favorite flower -  all are acceptable and wonderful. Brides, however, should consider guests who might have allergies to certain flowers.

Old: The mother of the groom shouldn't choose her dress until the mother of the bride has chosen hers.

New: Traditionally, the mother of the bride chooses her dress and then notifies the mother of the groom of its style and shade so that she can purchase a dress that complements but doesn't exactly match the bride's mother and attendants. Today, the mother of the groom should select an outfit that she feels beautiful and comfortable in and that is appropriate for the time of day and formality of the wedding. And if the bride's mom hasn't contacted the groom's mom, it is perfectly fine for mom o' the groom to initiate that phone call to discuss dress details.

Old: Traditional household appliances and linens are the best wedding presents.

New: Any gift is fine,  just choose thoughtfully. Some couples today have already combined households and may not need another  blender, compact toaster oven or set of thirsty bath towels. Gift registries are now the norm, and handy things they are for guests who may not know the couple as well as they might like. And don't be surprised by a registry that may contain non-traditional items like chipping in on vacations and mortgage payments.

Old: Guests shouldn't wear white or black to a wedding.

New: You can wear white as long as it doesn't look like a wedding dress: it's the bride's day. If you wear black, it should look like you are attending a wedding, not a funeral. Also consider time of day, location and any rules of attire specified by religion (for example, bare shoulders or too much cleavage or leg showing).

Old: All guests should receive hand-written thank you notes for their gifts.

New: Sorry, there's no changing this one! All guests should receive hand-written thank you notes for their gifts. Save the e-mails for lunch dates and business-related thank yous.

Technorati Tags : wedding, etiquette, tradition

Elsie Mills celebrated her 63rd wedding anniversary Monday with the help of more than 300 other war brides aboard a special train bound for Halifax.

Her husband, Jack Mills, has passed away, but Mrs. Mills is still marking the anniversary.

She and the other brides will participate in memorial activities on the train and at Pier 21 in Halifax as part of the 2006 Year of the War Bride. More than 40,000 of them followed their husbands to Canada from 1942-48.

Mrs. Mills, 84, grew up in Kent, England. She met her husband at a dance hosted by the air force in Paignton. "The funny thing is I actually was not going to marry anybody that lived overseas because I had no desire to leave England," she said in an interview.

Complete article

I think gatherings like this are so important for those who've shared in the wars, having spouses in the service, etc.  No one can ever truly understand unless they've actually lived it.  It creates a real bond that can't be broken.

Technorati Tags : war+brides, halifax, wedding+anniversary

Ramblin' Rose was recorded by two very famous singers - Nat King Cole and Hank Snow.  I have to admit I do like the Hank Snow version best.  Guess that's just the country in me.

Why you ramble, no one knows
Wild and windblown
That's how you've grown
Who can cling to, a Ramblin' Rose

Ramble on, ramble on
When your ramblin' days are gone
Who will love you
With a love true
When your ramblin' days are gone

Ramblin' Rose, Ramblin' Rose
Why I want you, heaven knows
Tho' I love you, with a love true
Who can cling to a Ramblin' Rose

Ramblin' Rose, Ramblin' Rose
Why I want you, heaven knows
Tho' I love you, with a love true
Who can cling to a Ramblin' Rose

Technorati Tags : ramblin+rose, nat+king+cole, hank+snow, lyrics

The 18th century Irish National poet Thomas Moore set lyrics to "The Last Rose of Summer".  Thomas Moore was born May 28 1779 in Dublin, Ireland.  It is said to have been written around 1805 when Moore saw the rose and was impressed by its beauty.

Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone,
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
No flow'r of her kindred
No rosebud is nigh
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one,
To pine on the stern,
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them

Thus kindly I'll scatter
Thy leaves o'er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow
When friendships decay;
And from love's shining circle
The gems drop away
When true hearts lie wither'd
And fond ones are flow'n
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?

I have memories of hearing this around my grandmothers house when I was very young.

Have you ever heard The Last Rose of Summer?

Technorati Tags : last+rose+of+summer+lyrics, irish+poet

"The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. But the theory now goes That the apple’s a rose." - Robert Frost

"Their lips were four red roses on a stalk." - Shakespeare

"Roses red and violets blew, And all the sweetest flowres that in the forrest grew." - Edmund Spenser

"Oh, my luve’s like a red, red rose, That ’s newly sprung in June; Oh, my luve’s like the melodie That’s sweetly played in tune." - Robert Burns

"The red rose whispers of passion, And the white rose breathes of love; O, the red rose is a falcon, And the white rose is a dove." - John Boyle O’Reilly

"And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies." - Christopher Marlowe

"I cast my heart into my rhymes, That you, in the dim coming times, May know how my heart went with them After the red-rose-bordered hem." - William Butler Yeats

"Gather the rose of love whilst yet is time." - Edmund Spenser

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with elgantine." - Shakespeare

"Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense" - Mark Overby.

"A single rose can be my garden...a single friend, my world" - Leo Buscaglia.

"When love first came to Earth,the Spring spread rose-beds to receive him."~ Thomas Campbell

Are there any famous rose quotes we've missed?  Do you have your own favorite quote?  One that's your own and unique?  Feel free to share!

Technorati Tags : roses, rose+quotes

source

"It is at the edge of the petal that love waits." ~ William Carlos Williams

"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December." - J. M. Barrie

"The sweetest flower that blows, I give you as we part. For you it is a Rose, For me it is my heart." ~ Frederick Peterson 1859-1938

"If the rose puzzled its mind over the question how it grew, it would not have been the miracle that it is." ~ J B Yeats 1871-1957

"A rose is a rose is a rose." - Gertrude Stein

"Yet, O thou beautiful rose! Queen rose so fair and sweet. What were lover or crown to thee, without the clay at thy feet?" ~ Julia C R Dorr

"A profusion of pink roses bending ragged in the rain speaks to me of all gentleness and its enduring." ~ William Carlos Williams

"And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies." - Christopher Marlowe

"Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you." ~ Richard B Sheridan 1751-1816

"Rose of all Roses, Rose of all the World! You, too, have come where the dim tides are hurled. Upon the wharves of sorrow, and heard ring The bell that calls us on; the sweet far thing." - William Butler Yeats

Here’s a unique idea for a perfect wedding favor and keepsake for each of your guests to take with them.

Why not order Paper Roses with the names and wedding date on them.  Have one rose placed at each place setting or handed out as each sign in upon arrival.

It’s a much better keepsake than a napkin or matchbook – the rose won’t get used up and tossed away like it meant nothing.

Technorati Tags : paper+roses, wedding+favors, keepsake