I moved from California to Greenwood, Wisconsin, in eighth grade, and everyone called me “The California Kid.” I guess I seemed like hot big- city stuff in our rural area! The name stuck all the way into high school. I never would have suspected I’d find my future wife in a class of 60 people, especially saddled with a nickname, but that’s exactly what I did.

Kaye and I went on our first date when we were teenagers. We’re about to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary as I write this. Though it wasn’t all smooth sailing, even college and many miles couldn’t keep us apart. As you can tell from the photo, we got married in 1973 at the height of long-haired hippie fashion.

Our wedding date was Feb. 10. We tied the knot on a very cold evening at Savior’s Lutheran Church in Greenwood in front of about 50 guests. Kaye’s family filled most of the church, including her parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and sister who lived in the area. My parents, great aunt, and great uncle also attended. Afterward, we held a brief reception in the church before taking the real party elsewhere.

As most grooms will tell you, beyond the ceremony, the rest of the day was a blur to me! All that mattered was that I had my new wife by my side. We traveled to her parents’ farm for our reception in rural Greenwood and had a wonderful time playing cards, telling stories, and drinking beer with our friends and family. There was plenty of laughter, food, and drink for everyone.

After the reception, Kaye and I moved to a little town called Spencer, Wisconsin, to start our lives together. We were both working at the time, so it took another 10 years for us to get away for our honeymoon! In 1983, we finally managed it. We drove to Napa, California, for 10 days to visit relatives and explore the local wine country.

Forty-nine years after saying “I do,” I still count myself lucky to have Kaye. I’m looking forward to our 50th anniversary next year, and many more after that! Not bad for “The California Kid.”