It was a testament that no matter what kind of shit balls came our way we would be able to prevail, move forward, and tie the bond that was sitting quietly and patiently on the sidelines. We were taking our relationship to its next level, yes, "the Wedding", as it was dubbed for almost an entire year while planning (personal joke between Maria and my mom).
The stress, the changes, none of these events held us down. Nothing stood in our way of progressing down the path of marriage. Now remember, we had been engaged for almost a year and a half, I said it before, we moved quick. We planned.
We had a running joke that by the time we tied the knot that Cherry Chip cake, Maria's favorite at the time, would be obsolete, that Metallica, my favorite band, would be played on the oldies radio station. Once a date was set for September 21st 1996, the entire year of '95 (which settled down and attempted to get smooth) into '96 was putting our heads into "the Wedding" and getting it to work.
It takes a village to raise a child, the old saying goes, it takes an entire family to help get the idea of a wedding on its feet and help it walk, quite literally, down an aisle, and come to fruition. Both our families were behind the scenes putting their handy work into our plan, into our future.
As '96 began to rear its head, the plans began to settle into a valley, the calm before the storm, September finally arrived. The dresses for the bridesmaid had to be switched a few weeks before hand. The dress that Maria's mom originally purchased for "the Wedding" wouldn't fit, and stress was at an all time high, the stress was feeding the moments, the memories, the smiling confidence that everyone had on their faces, as we worked through it diligently riding the waves. It was one of the most trying times in our history. The day, like everyday of our lives, had arrived.
The sky was blue, that morning. I woke from my parent's couch as tradition forced my hand at not seeing the bride until we walked down the aisle that afternoon, needless to say we were living together in our first home, but tradition is tradition. The trees were beginning their morph into color giving nature's warning that we were heading into Autumn and ambling head on into the day that would officially seal our bond, the day that made an entire year seem endless.
Our wedding song was "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica, our cake was Cherry Chip, and when we said our vows, our love for each other was as strong as it ever could be to pave the way into our future. I remember looking into the bright blue eyes of my bride. Pools of water on the surface, the quivering of the nerves in our lips was joy, it was happiness, and a feeling so intense because we did it, we were becoming Tim & Maria Eagle.
In hindsight, it may have been stressful, but I watch videos, I see pictures, and I weep. Not for the wedding itself, but for all of those people in our family who have left us since that day. The memories of those people, the happiness they had for our special day, the way that they had touched our lives was like a magic act without the illusion. They were all such a crucial part of our lives, and we have so much today to be thankful for all of them, those who left and those who are still around and a part of our daily lives, and that love is something that will never go away.
The next adventure begins the travel bug within. Thanks for reading about our lives. Don't forget to subscribe to Dark Nest Travels on YouTube and follow us on Instagram at darknesttravels. Thanks for stopping by and keeping up to date on our life, in its genesis and the unfolding path that is just ahead.