Weddings and graduations seem to fill our calendars throughout May and June. My personal memories of my June graduation and June wedding consists of excitement, happiness and a slight reality jolt. My 1971 Escalon High School graduation was the moment my friends and I waited for all senior year. We were allowed to have a senior ditch day on the day prior to our graduation ceremony. Of course, at 17, going out to swim at Woodward Reservoir was about as exciting as it got in this small rural area. We had a great time while applying gallons of baby oil on ourselves, which was popular in those days to get that deep, dark tan. Well, that deep dark tan turned into a deep red sunburn by my graduation day. We were expected to wear dresses and stockings under our robes. With each step to our graduation song came a new pain running down my legs as the stockings rubbed on my newly burned skin. This ceremony was followed by a painful dance. Needless to say, to this day I am slightly paranoid when too long in the sun.

My 1974 wedding was somewhat of a dream come true but also true to form in unexpected mishaps. Just graduating from Design School in San Francisco, I felt the need to personally sew my wedding dress, five bridesmaid’s dresses and my Mother’s dress. I stressfully finished the last dress after rehearsal on the night before the wedding. Also, that afternoon, my Mother quickly ran some errands and pulled out in front of a car. No one was hurt, just shaken. Later that evening, my soon-to-be husband was driving my car as one of our groomsmen, who shall remain nameless, followed him. At a stop sign, my car was rear ended by that groomsman. Again, no one was hurt just shaken. The final mishap was that someone, who shall also remain nameless, was supposed to leave the key to my parent’s house under the doormat for the bridesmaids to change after decorating. There was no key under the mat. After climbing through a window, my bridesmaids were 45 minutes late to the ceremony.

With age, I have realized that we can micromanage our lives to the bitter end and drive everyone crazy along with ourselves. But almost always, without us noticing, even though life gets in the way it all becomes what it is supposed to be. Despite all that went wrong, I received my high school diploma, pursued my ambitions and on June 1st, my husband and I will have been married for 47 years. Life is good!