My husband and I never really had what you would call a honeymoon. We spent our wedding night, October 7, 1978, at the Bob White Motel in Alexander City, Alabama in the same hotel and room my parents spent theirs in so many years before. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but looking back now I wonder what I was thinking when I came up with that idea! No offense, Mom! My husband played drums in a gospel group and they had a singing at a church in Talladega the next day, so we had to leave bright and early for that. Needless to say, it really wasn't much of a honeymoon.
In 1999, I think it was, my husband had been working in Colorado for many months in the construction field. My children and I stayed behind in Alabama because I had a good job and we didn't want to uproot them from their schools and their friends. When my husband decided it was time to come home, I flew out to Colorado so I could help him drive back home. This was my first time being on an airplane, but that's another story. When I got there, he told me that before we left for home he was taking me to Estes Park, Colorado for a few days. Autumn is my favorite time of year and the ride to Estes Park was a gorgeous one. It was late October. We passed a buck and two does while on the drive to Estes Park and I was so happy that I was able to get a picture of them. I remember the air was crisp and cool and the sky was a brilliant blue. It was a perfect Autumn day.
We arrived in Estes Park and took some pictures at the Visitor's Center and the River Walk. Close your eyes and picture the river running in front of the Visitor’s Center with a couple of bridges and imagine the sound of the water rushing over the river rocks, and imagine the beauty of the majestic Rocky Mountains all around you. There was a golf course next door with some of the greenest grass I have ever seen. We spotted some elk on the golf course. We tried to find a cabin on the river, but we hadn't made reservations; however, we finally found a place at the Appenzell Inn and, while it wasn't on the river like we wanted, it was within walking distance. It was a very nice room with a fireplace, jacuzzi, microwave, and sitting area. We decided to go to the grocery store and buy food to take back and fix in the microwave as opposed to eating out because we had to save as much money as possible for our long drive back to Alabama. Before we left for the store, we noticed two wine glasses, so while we were shopping, I got some non-alcoholic sparkling cider to pour in the glasses to celebrate after we got back. Neither of us are big drinkers. Keep in mind I hadn't seen my husband in many months! We bought candles to put around the tub and bubble bath to go in the jacuzzi. We had supper in front of the fire. It was a very romantic atmosphere indeed. It was a perfect night to end the already perfect day. The next day, we went into Rocky Mountain National Park. The scenery was incredibly spectacular with the pops of color here and there. When we checked out of the hotel, we took the wine glasses with us as a souvenir.
When we finally got back to Alabama, I kept my special glasses from my second honeymoon in a cabinet in my kitchen with my other nice glassware. When my daughter was probably about seven, she found them in the cabinet and she liked to drink out of them. I scolded her and told her I wish she would just let them be because they were special to me and something I wanted to keep in remembrance of my trip to Estes Park. After that, best I remember, she pretty much left them alone, except around the holidays when she would get them down to drink sparkling cider or egg nog out of. Somehow one of them ended up with a crack in it, and I scolded her again and told her if she had listened to me in the first place, the glass would not be cracked. Over the years, she has continued to drink out of the glasses during the holidays, either pouring sparkling cider or egg nog in them, often fixing me a glass to drink with her. It has kind of become a tradition for us to drink our egg nog out of our special glasses while trimming the tree.
With the holidays fast approaching again, she asked me if I thought egg nog was out yet. I told her I didn't know, but we could check when we went to the store later on. We were both happy to see that it was and, of course, we bought some, brought it home, and got out our special glasses. As I was washing dishes later, the one with the crack broke and cut my finger. As I watched the blood running down my finger, I felt angry for a moment that the glass broke because if she had listened to me to begin with, the glass wouldn't have gotten cracked, but then I stopped to think about all the wonderful memories over the past 10-11 years of drinking sparkling cider and egg nog out of those special glasses with my daughter. I stopped to mull over how I have watched her grow into a beautiful young lady with each passing holiday. She is no longer a child. She is 18 now and she has grown into a daughter I can be proud of. I have often said she is every mother's dream for a daughter. I see now it really wasn't the glasses that were so special, but the relationship I have with my daughter, and you could not trade me all the glasses in the world for that.
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