Can't have a milestone anniversary and a website called "Sitzman Moments" and not share something about the greatest of moments - getting to be Mary's husband.
May 23, 2017 marks thirty years of marriage for Mary and I. I look at the picture below and I see two people looking together at the journey that lies ahead, not knowing where it would lead, but ready to experience it together. As a result of the experiences we have shared, I am so fortunate to be able to say that I have never loved Mary more than I do today and for some strange reason she seems to feel the same way about me. What a precious feeling!!!
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| Outside the church at St. Stanislaus Church in Sobieski. |
Our journey together started when Mary and I met playing volleyball with friends in Little Falls. There were also opportunities for socializing and dancing to live music at the Drawbridge Bar. One Saturday I went to the Drawbridge hoping Mary would be there so that I could ask her to go with me to an Alabama concert at the state fair. She was there and she said yes! Our first date actually ended up being supper at the King's Supper Club. (There won't be any nostalgic visits as the Drawbridge, King's, and where we had our wedding reception - Jerry's Supper Club - no longer exist.)
Soon after those first dates, Mary would meet Mom at a softball game in Buckman. It turned out they had been talking to each other almost daily for a number of years as Mom worked as a secretary at the Pierz high school and she and Mary had to discuss attendance as some Pierz students attended Little Falls for individual classes not offered in Pierz. That softball game would turn out to be their only in person meeting. Mary lived only a couple blocks from St. Gabriel's Hospital, and she was there for me the day Mom passed away just days after that meeting. Mary also took time off work to be there for the funeral. Even though we had only been dating a few weeks, I already knew I had found someone I could talk to and who would be there for me. As someone who always seems to do things the hard way, patience and understanding are pretty important qualities to have in a life partner, and Mary still has lots of both. My becoming guardian of my sister and having other family members living with us was never an issue. By the time I met her family at her niece's wedding, I was sure I had found my wife. Our relationship moved along quickly; approximately ten months from first date to our wedding day.
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We don't dance as much as we used to,
but Mary still gets me to slow dance from time to time. |
Besides each other, our greatest gift was the arrival of our daughter, Christina Alice. We were still living in Buckman when Christy was born; she was baptized in Buckman. We moved to Little Falls just in time for Christy to celebrate her first Christmas there.
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| Mom and daughter resting after a very long birth process - nearly a day. |
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| Home on the couch in Buckman. Daddy's little girl! |
We didn't have a lot of money in those early years, yet we found a way to have a good life. Camping and bike riding became an inexpensive way to get out and enjoy the beauty around us. Campgrounds near Itasca State Park and the Cannon Valley Trail near Welch were favorite destinations. (Both campgrounds are now closed - anyone else noticing a trend here?) And brother Chip's various job locations allowed us the opportunity to cheaply visit places like the Black Hills, Laramie, Rocky Mountain National Park, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Chicago, St. Louis, and Cape Girardeau. There were lots of family gatherings, many involving some old time music being played as Mary's dad loved to sing and play the trumpet. Since then there have been additional trips, either through work or on our own, including California, Nevada, New York, Boston, Georgia, Florida, and Mary's dream spot of Hawaii. Mary did win a little money for us in Reno; hit the jackpot to win a SeaDoo. She took the cash instead as SeaDoo's don't fly as well as they float.
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| Hawaii |
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| Lake Tahoe |
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| Yosemite National Park |
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| Great Smokey Mountain National Park |
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| A Mother's Day favorite - Mini Golf |
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| Together biking. |
There have been some challenges along the way. We had one miscarriage and Michael Robert Sitzman was only with us about 1.5 days as he was born premature. By a long shot, Mary still has more days spent in the hospital than I because of the challenges as a result of her pregnancy with Michael. That same year her mom passed away from cancer. And there were many emergency runs for her dad in his later years.
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| Michael Robert Sitzman holding his dad's finger. |
Telling Christy her brother had died may have been one of the most difficult things I have ever done. As a result, I was bound and determined to see my family smile again. Still don't know how we did it, but Christy made her first trip of many to Disney World that summer. Turned into one of our most memorable trips - pictures of Christy smiling were priceless! Guess that has been a theme of our marriage: taking the challenges of life and learning how to make the most of them, turning them into something positive. Cancer just happens to be the current challenge. With God's love and strength, we'll continue to move forward!
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If there was a photo opportunity with a Disney character on that first visit,
Christy knew what to do without coaxing! |
Just had to include the picture below. Again, I can provide lots of challenges, including when I am firing off smart remarks that are intended to be humor. It's a good thing Mary can still laugh when those hands go around my neck so that she doesn't squeeze too tight!
Fortunately I have managed to keep a spell over her, and she over me. While our current situation allows me some freedom to go off and do some things on my own, make no mistake, I am at my best with her at my side.
As Christy and Caleb approach their wedding, hopefully they will see things in us that they can take into their marriage. May they be as blessed as we have been. Thank you God for bringing Mary into my life. Thank you Mary, for choosing to take this magical journey with me!!!
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A mistake double exposure taken by our photographer.
The "mistake" is our favorite picture from the wedding. |
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