February 7, 2009

At the trailhead

Ascending to our "chapel"

The marriage license

Justice of the Peace signs the marriage license

Tracks of some of our "guests" from the forest

We are proud to announce that we marked the eighth anniversary of our relationship by marrying on February 7, 2009 in Worcester, Vermont (a few minutes drive from home). Though our only witness was an intrepid Justice of the Peace who was willing to snowshoe into the middle of the woods in deep snow to do the honors, we want our family and friends to know you were all very much in our thoughts on that cold, clear, happy winter day.

For nearly three thousand days, we have been building a loving and committed relationship that survived two bar exams each and a difficult Vermont-Colorado geography test. We sacrificed for each other and shared in each other’s personal and professional success. We became partners in the fullest sense of the word.

Yet we resisted the not-so-subtle pressure to get married, believing (as we still do) that the depth of our commitment is best measured by the small things we do for each other every day. Our relationship adhered to the old adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” It was also good fun to confound people who couldn’t figure us out without the “marriage” label as a guide. Nonetheless, with our commitment to each other already a well-established reality in our heads and hearts, we came to realize that we were missing out on benefits we’d otherwise get if we made it official in the eyes of the law.

We chose an admittedly low-key approach to pursuing those benefits without delay because after our many years together an “engagement” didn’t seem to fit the circumstances. We got our license from City Hall and the next day we took it and a small bottle of good Champagne into Putnam State Forest on the trail to Mt. Worcester’s summit. On the ride to the trailhead, our Justice of the Peace read his newly-issued handbook, boning up on the required elements of the service which were few. A little ways up the trail we turned on an old logging road, charting our own path through untracked snow to the top of a steep ridge. We ascended to a clearing with a nice vista, shared brief but heartfelt reflections with each other, and had the JoP sign the license using Anthony’s back as a writing surface. As the pictures show, we couldn’t have had a more peaceful setting.

We are deeply grateful to our family and friends for supporting and loving us as we’ve made this wonderful life together. We hope one day in the not too distant future—perhaps when we mark the tenth year we’ve spent together—to assemble our family and friends to thank you for the many ways in which you’ve touched our lives and helped us become the people we are. Between now and then we’ll look forward to many warm-up celebrations with you when we are fortunate enough to next cross paths.

With love,

Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Iarrapino & Joslyn Wilschek