I submit this year's Valentine song with a video that is a
bit of a departure. It uses brief snippets of rudimentary green screen/color
keying, but more significantly, it uses text to tell a some of the story of our
April Fools' Day wedding announcement, our wedding day affixed to our Annual
Half-a-Dozen Crazy Cousin's Easter Feaster Weekend Celebration, and our
subsequent "honeymoon" in Hawaii. Most of the images are from an album that no one else has
seen, and I am guessing neither Carolyn nor I have seen for at least twenty
years or so.
As I have explained elsewhere, Carolyn and I met in 1969,
when I was newly married and transferred from Whittier College to Chico State
so that my bride could continue at Chico, and I could complete my B.A. and
teaching credential. The first day I was there, my wife, Jan, was scheduled to
perform music at a concert with Dan, Carolyn’s boyfriend and soon-to-be
husband. Carolyn and I sat on a bed in a dorm room and talked while Jan and Dan
rehearsed. Two years later, Jan and I graduated and returned to Whittier. Three
years after that, following a very amicable divorce, I submitted my resignation
and retired from teaching, packed my car with my instruments and travel
essentials, and set off to try to make a living playing music. While visiting
Santa Rosa to see if my brother Tucker wanted to join me in this venture, I
made a visit to my ex-wife, who was back in Chico, and, while there, became
reacquainted with Carolyn who was also at the end of her marriage. After a few
weeks, I said to Carolyn, "I am returning to Southern California to get a
job. I would love to have you join me." She came for a visit in December
of 1974, staying with me at my cousin’s house in Laguna. Four months later, she
came down for good, and we have been together ever since.
Having both been married before, and having no religious
notion attached to the ceremony, we could find no reason to remarry. From the
day that she moved in, because of our love and personal commitment, we were
more married than most couples, regardless of ceremony. It was nearly eight
years later when Carolyn was taking a paralegal class in probate law (and I was
sitting in) that we realized the ridiculous discrimination and undue burdens
placed on committed couples who were not legally married. This is one of the
reasons that I have been so outspoken for so long about the rights of same-sex
couples to the legal benefits and protections of marriage.
On the spot, we simultaneously arrived at the conclusion
that the most expeditious thing to do would be to get married. We didn’t want
to make a big thing of it, however, since we had already been together eight
years. We had always considered April as our anniversary month, but we never
really had a set date. We naturally realized that April 1st would be the
perfect day for our marriage. We decided to get married by a local justice, but
the Whittier Court only did marriages on Fridays. We had to wait just over a
year for April 1st to land on a Friday. It was quite fortuitous, really, because,
had we missed that day but stuck to our plan, we might have had to wait as much
as six more years for the right day to roll around.
We asked our friend’s Dick and Betty Harris to be witnesses,
and we told no one else. Carolyn created a very clever wedding announcement
that was sent to arrive on April 1st. That announcement is the opening of this
video accompanied by the beginning of my song, “April Fools.” Our cousin,
Beverly McMullen, not really sure what to make of the note, came to the Whittier
Municipal Court and took a few pictures of the event. Those pictures are also
included in the video.
We then traveled to Big Bear, California, to share our
wedding weekend with our cousins, Sam and Becky (McMullen) LaRocca, in their
parent’s cabin. The pictures that Becky took are also included in the video.
Finally, we traveled to Hawaii for our “official” honeymoon, thanks, in part,
to a wedding gift from my parents.
A few of those pictures are here as well.
We hope that you have a Fun and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Such a Simple Thing
Such a simple thing
As your hand in mine
Becomes the perfect
Valentine
Or this wedding ring
As our lives entwine
Another perfect
Valentine
And this song I sing
Seeks in every line
Another perfect
Valentine
A token of our love
A pledge forever more
With thanks for what we’ve had
And joy for what’s in store
Such a simple thing
Warm, sweet eyes that shine
Another perfect
Valentine
For the love we bring
Is the love we find
Another perfect
Valentine
A token of our love
A pledge forever more
With thanks for what we’ve had
And joy for what’s in store
If fate were such that at its end,
They offered one more chance,
My one request, Dear Carolyn,
Again to join you in that dance
Such a simple thing
As your hand in mine
Becomes the perfect
Valentine
For you soothe life’s sting
With a love so fine
My thanks to you
Dear Valentine
And this song I sing
Seeks in every line
Another perfect
Valentine
©2013 Tim McMullen
All Rights Reserved
