We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for the
following important announcement.
FLASH**this is just in** David and Noelle Smith are
celebrating their 25th Wedding Anniversary today. The couple will be
heading to Ft. Worth to see Young
Frankenstein: The Musical at Bass Hall; they do plan on eating at a yet
undisclosed local establishment either before or after the show.
This reporter asked Noelle what she thought about spending
the last 25 years being married to a man some might describe as a redneck, to
which she replied, “He’s a work in progress and coming along slowly but he
definitely shows signs of improvement.” When David was asked the same question
(minus the redneck part of course) his eyes kind of glazed over, he broke into
a huge smile and then mumbled something so incoherently this reporter was left
wondering how much progress he’s actually made.
My reporter instincts kicked in here and I thought to
myself, “Self, there could be a story here. Why don’t we investigate?” And self agreed. After much digging, poking, and
prodding (that sounds more like a visit to the doctor’s office doesn’t it?)
Oops, my notes got mixed up. Okay, back on track after investigating (right
notes this time) here is the story I came up with, the following story may not
be suitable for all viewers:
March 14, 1987 was a day like any other day, or was it?
David somehow (I’m still a little befuddled exactly how) convinced Noelle to
join him in Holy Matrimony. So this was actually a day when two people were
able to join together and profess their love to the world in a ceremony
witnessed by family and friends. David even felt it was such a special
occasion; he wore socks with his white tuxedo. Of course in true redneck
fashion, they were tube socks and you could see the red stripes on them through
his pants. Fortunately someone took pity on the poor simple fool and told him
to roll them down before Noelle walked down the aisle and smacked him up aside
his head with the bouquet.
Fast forward a few months down the road and we find the
couple living in Edom, TX with Noelle cutting hair for a living and David
having no prospects in mind whatsoever. Whose stupid idea was this? Oh yeah, David’s.
This is where the couple was living when they discovered there was going to be
an addition to their little family. The name choosing process had begun and
after throwing out names such as Elvis and Tyrel (naturally those were David’s
choices) the only name that mattered was for a girl.
So we find the intrepid couple living in Arlington, TX on
March 8, 1988 when they were blessed with Amanda Elisabeth. And oh what a
joyous day it was, except when David brought baby Amanda out to introduce her
to the family (there were quite a few since she was the first grandchild) no
one was to be found except for James Gravitt, the young man’s step-father, it
seems everyone else had gone to eat lunch.
Like any other young married couple over the next few years
there were many struggles both financially and emotionally. They were blessed
twice more with children, on January 28, 1990 little Miranda Kathleen came into
this world. Once again the child was a girl and saved from names that would
make a normal parent cringe (once again, they were David’s choices). This time,
the couple were sitting around their apartment living room discussing names
when Noelle jokingly said Miranda rhymes with Amanda and David said Miranda
Kathleen, they both looked at each and voiced their thought that it had the
perfect ring to it (this portion of the story was told to me by David, so who
knows if it is right). Miranda was born on Super Bowl Sunday or what some refer
to as the day Joe Montana embarrassed the Denver Broncos (rumor has it she
planned this on purpose while in the womb just to assert her willpower). And
not too long later, on September 7, 1991 Blake Wayne came into this world at
precisely the right time thanks to Noelle’s grandmother Cleone Swanner. Blake
was a scheduled c-section (something about his ears being too big, at least
according to his dad), the doctors were going to push back Noelle’s surgery and
her grandmother swooped in like a super hero and set the record straight (she
was a retired nurse from the hospital in question and was well known), Blake
Wayne was born a little later. Blake was named after David’s grandpa Blake
Cummons and became the 3rd generation Smith with Wayne as a middle
name (must be one of those redneck things, at least it wasn’t Elvis or Tyrel).
The next several years found the couple going through some
ups and downs, as young couples sometimes do. I feel after interviewing them,
they both feel as though this period strengthened their relationship and their
resolve in each other. The Smiths relocated to Grapevine, TX in 1997 and have been
there ever since. The kids are all grown up now and moved away to have their
own lives. But David and Noelle have had their little family expanded with the
addition of a great son-in-law, Chris Woods, and two beautiful granddaughters,
Kendall Renee Dawson and Audrey Katelyn Woods.
David and Noelle both have hobbies they like. Noelle likes
to quilt, paint and various other artistic endeavors. David likes to make pens and generally
anything made out of wood. He recently made his second cradle, one for each
granddaughter. David states that the first thing he wants to do when he
finishes any project is find Noelle and show it to her (like a dog with his
bone), to get her opinion, since to him her opinion matters most. David can’t
stand for a single day to pass by without talking to his lovely bride at least
once, whether by phone or in person. Otherwise, he says, it leaves a huge hole
in his day that cannot be filled any other way. Twenty-five years of marriage
is no small feat in this day and age. It is a testament of two people who truly
care for and believe in each other. It is about two people that love sharing
time together. They want to be the last face each sees at night when going to
sleep and the first face each sees in the morning when they wake.
I’m not sure what I expected to find when I began
investigating this story, but what I discovered is two people still in love
with each other as much today as they were 25 years ago on March 14, 1987.
A special word from our sponsor:
Happy Anniversary Noelle, I love you and can’t wait to see
what the next twenty-five years brings.
You may now resume your regularly scheduled programming.
:)
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