Musings from Graceland

19 Years Of Marriage????

An anniversary message from one of Elysa's daughters:

One day at work, a coworker of mine was saying she didn't want to get married 'til she had a "fairytale kinda romantic love. Still in love after twenty years." Well my parents haven't been married quite twenty years yet...BUT nineteen is pretty close. After I told her that, I went on to tell my coworker about how long my parents had been married and then told her about this one movie night when we watched 'Hello Dolly'.

My dad kept going on and on about how good my mom would look in those "Gibson-girl type dresses that make them have that perfect hour glass". It was a bit much for us. But he enjoyed it. My mom just blushed. Later into the movie they started making eyes at each other and singing the mushy love song ("It only/Takes a moment/To be loved a whole life through"). I'm pretty sure they also danced together and kissed several times. They kiss alot. She's talking about me taking a picture of them...probably kissing...as soon as he gets home from taking my brother to Boy Scouts. Anyways, back to my point.

They are still very much-sometimes a bit disgustingly-in love. I am very grateful for their kissing. Now some of the other stuff....anyways. I'm grateful for their kissing because it shows me, many times a day, that my parents are still crazy for each other. And though it can be a bit sick when you're younger, it's all good.

Now. A brief history of their marriage.

James and Elysa MacLellan were married February 1st, 1991 after the military called James and informed him he was being shipped off to Desert Storm. (Sounds a bit like the beginning of some sappy romance doesn't it? Well I 'spose it is.) Their marriage was thrown together in one day. (Impressive huh? Dress, cake, church, everything!)

They lived in numerous places unremarkable except for how little and cheap they often were. (The most strange one was the Barbie daybed of a friend's daughter! !!!! ) By 1993, James was working for the State of Mississippi's Environmental Quality Waste Water Management unit, thing, whatever, in a cramped, slightly creepy cubicle in the state capitol Jackson (don't be impressed. It's not impressive...yet.) and Elysa and him were living on 210 South Park Dr., Jackson Mississippi, in a little, ancient white and green house. Come to be known as the White House. But all of this is irreverent compared to what was to come. In 1993, James and Elysa found that they would be PARENTS. Elysa says she cried she was so happy when she found out. That child would be the first of what would culminate to SEVEN children (with the possibility of future ones being adopted in) but the first was the most important. Because she was the one who first made them parents. Also she was (and still is!) the guinea-pig-experiment-child and is known to y'all as Daughter A or Indie, which is what she prefers.

In 1999 the MacLellan Family (soon to become a hoard) moved from their little White House on 210 S. Park Dr., to a new house in the country on three acres with a barn (cats included free of charge! Those first cats started the MacLellan's cat breeding business. Contact Elysa if you want a FREE kitten.). That house looked like a Ski Lodge with a brick fireplace, wooden exposed rafters, A-frame construction....the works and the address to that one can't be given cause they live there still.

Oh and now you can be impressed. Not only did James father seven monsters-er, I mean children-he is also now the State Dam Safety Official. (I just love saying that! He does too. He has it on all his stuff. Even his guitar case! A sticker that reads: "Best Dam Conference, 2008!")

The MacLellan future is of course, uncertain, as all futures are. But they'll probably be in Africa by 2018. Or those that are still at home. The MacLellan hoard of kids are fast growing little monsters.

So....happy anniversary Mom & Dad! We all love you! Obviously.

~Daughter A
Indie, as she prefers to be called