we're getting married! Again!

Lily was on a bad date at the Boulder Cafe. She was distracted from the lackluster conversation by a tall handsome blonde fellow wearing yellow Keds and the cutest tiniest cut-off shorts (obviously a DIY job). Having secreted his way into the cafe in search of water and a bathroom, he slipped out of the restaurant and Lily thought he had disappeared along with the possibility of the opportunity to meet. However, when the bad date ended Lily walked out onto Pearl Street and much to her delight, there was a great band playing on the street which included the blonde fellow. As you might have guessed, it turned out to be Noah and the legendary rock and roll band, Winchester Holiday! Lily loved the music but couldn't catch Noah's eye, so she left her business card in the open guitar case. As a consummate professional, Noah's younger brother, Wilson, emailed Lily to invite her to follow the band on Facebook. She did so immediately and sent them a message saying how much she enjoyed the music. Several days later, Noah was looking through the band's inbox for details about an upcoming show and saw a message from a cute brunette. As a consummate professional, Noah decided to look through Lily's photos. He noticed one of Lily and a college friend of his (from Oberlin College days and of hers, from study abroad in France days!), Reba, lounging in Dolores Park in San Francisco. Noah was interested. He knew he liked Reba, he knew he liked Dolores Park, so he sent Lily a message thinking he might like her too. Lily responded with an invitation for beers and french fries. In keeping with the ensuing years, though, the first date involved green tea at 7 am. And they did, indeed, like each other and still do.

We had been together for nearly seven years when in April of 2020 Lil's beloved mom, Camilla Faunce Williams, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We flew back to Vermont and started talking about important things to do while we still had time with her. Camilla, being as graceful and opinionated as she was, suggested we get married. On a Tuesday, she suggested "this coming Saturday." So that's what we did. Before marriage though, came the three-day engagement! Before dinner on the following evening, in Vermont's golden evening light in the deep green of May and by the rambling blueberry bushes at Lily's childhood home, Noah told Lil how rich she makes his life and asked if she would marry him. Lily cried, even though she knew it was coming, and said definitely. A beautiful family ring was at the ready. Camilla's grandfather Guglielmo Cini, an Italian-American jeweler, had made a ring for his daughter (Camil's mom), Mimi. Lily had loved the ring since she first saw it. Having inherited Mimi's finger size, the ring fit Lily perfectly. We celebrated our engagement with family on the sprawling lawn.