Our wedding and honeymoon was spur of the moment after eleven years….I know, crazy…right???  After eleven years it all ended in a matter of ten days.  We were married on the 16th of October and he passed away on the 26th.  I would never have dreamed our beautiful honeymoon would end that way and that I would be driving back home from my honeymoon with my oldest daughter instead of my husband.

We had talked about marriage often and that we were definitely going to do it, but the time had to be right.  Suddenly it was right.  Looking back now, I wonder if Art felt something was wrong, if he knew he wouldn’t be around much longer.  We both even joked with people the day we married, that at 70 years of age, we needed to get married quickly before one of us dies.  Who would know that would come to pass days later?

These last few years, Art always referred to us as “The Joyes” even before we were married.  It always made me smile.  After we were married and driving to Michigan, he reached over in the car, took my hand and said “Well, we are officially the Joyes now!” with a big smile on his face.  I was so excited to be Rose Mary Joye.  It just had a good sound to it.

I’ve chronicled our ten days of married life…some filled with joy…some filled with fear…some with hope…some with heartbreak.

Life and the adventure goes on….he is just with me in spirit.  I feel him often.