One Photo: One Story; I Do, do and do.

When is a commitment sealed? Does it take a sacrament, a wedding in Las Vegas or by jamming your fingers in the business end of a contract stone?

To me, it’s sealed in the heart. Cemented in your soul by everyday living and the decision to be all in.

Kelly and I decided that only a few minutes after we met.

We’re still on our honeymoon even after fifteen years, wait roll that back, nine years married. Fifteen or nine doesn’t make a difference if you count the time we jammed our fingers in the hole at the top of a 12th Century contract stone in the church yard of Kilmalkedar in Dingle, Country Kerry, Ireland.

We’ve had three ceremonies.

Which ceremony is the real deal? All of them, Love is a decision.

We were married in Holy Cross Church in Rumson, New Jersey, August 14, 2004. Father Hughes was very patient as Kelly was an hour late for the wedding ceremony.

Some of our guests were concerned that the ceremony wouldn’t happen.

The driver of the car we hired said he received a fax from someone saying that the wedding was postponed a week.

After Kelly gave him a piece of her mind, he showed up late in jeans and a T-shirt.

Drama. Day one.

If some of our family and friends thought that controversy was unfolding, Kelly and I would have understood. We had split up several times when we were dating. We were engaged once before and broke up after a year.

This time, we got it right.

A few weeks after our wedding the priest who married us was arrested for embezzlement. Someone said, “ You should have just gone to Vegas and got married by Elvis”.

So we did that too.

April 11, 2010. A half drunken limo driver picked us up at the MGM Grand and drove us out to the strip to Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel. Where I bought $60 dollar sunglasses that I could purchase at the gas station across the street for three bucks.

What the hell I thought, you only get married once right?

A hip swiveling minister, a skinny Elvis, hitched us up right.

A year later, March 21, 2011 while touring the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland, a tour guide named Denis Ryan talked with us about the Celtic history of Kerry, Ireland. We ended up at a 12th Century church. Kilmalkedar Church which was associated with St. Brendan and Saint Maolcethair. He pointed to an ancient stone, he told us put our fingers in the hole.

He said, “Now you’re married in Ireland”.

The ceremonies were fun. I’m not sure about the look on Kelly’s face. I’m sure it’s from too many pints of Guinness.

I think.