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Nearly 17 years ago when my wife married Jean and I decided to get married, I must confess,

I didn't put a lot of thought into it. It really was the furthest thing from my mind.

And that's because we had just purchased a house together and my attention, well,

was more focused on packing, moving everything to the new home, and of course, unpacking. And then, you know, we have to be a house together and my attention while it was more focused on packing, moving everything to the

new home and of course unpacking. And then, you know, we hadn't even settled in, but a few weeks

later we tied the knot in our backyard. It was a small ceremony, just 28 people, and that

included the two of us. But the thing we feared most was that had been raining the entire summer.

I'm talking about downpour day after day after day, which meant that we most likely be

married on our back porch. And I guess I should explain that the porch runs the entire length

of the house and it has a roof over the top. It's a very large back porch. But to fit 28 people on there, that would have been a tight squeeze.

Luckily for us, however, the rain stopped a couple of days before the wedding and we were

married under beautiful sunny skies.

It really was perfect.

Now, my mind was so busy dealing with other things that I really never stopped to consider

even the most basic of things.

For example, I don't recall us ever discussing whether or not Mary Jane would take my last

name.

Of course, the subject must have come up at some point, but I don't really have much of a recollection

of it.

I have some vague memory of saying something

to the effect like we're both in our mid-40s, and I didn't think Mary Jane should give up her

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