10 Years Together

July 11, 2008 marked our 10 year anniversary. To help us celebrate, our sister Cheryl Murphy hosted a party for us at her house - the very place we were married! We invited not only the people who were there that day, but also some of the many new friends we have made over the years.

I've mixed in some shots from our wedding day. So that you're not confused, I've given them a different background color. We didn't take any of the photos on this page. The ones you see from our original day were from our friend Pat Miller in Tennessee. The new ones are from either professional photographer Donna Nash or my mom, Dot Leonard. To be honest, they took some fabulous shots of Cheryl's home, both exterior and interior.

Men Waiting Patiently, I might add. 10 years ago we were married by Rev. Mack McKibbon (L). That's me in the middle and best man Don "Trout" Troutman on the right.	Mr and Mrs Leonard We were all smiles then as we left the front of the tent. Next up was the barbecue and party, which lasted all night long as I remember.
Host and Hostess Mike and Cheryl put a lot of time and thought into this party. We are truly thankful they are part of our lives.	Leonards gather in the Living Room Cheryl's house is so very nice to gather in. Each room has something special about it. The living room is warm and cozy and the Leonard clan felt right at home there. L-R is Don, Leslie, Dad, Jaiden, Mom, and Melissa.
Original Cake Mark Fitzpatrick made the original wedding cake and the groom's pineapple-upside-down cake.	10-Year Cake Our anniversary cake was the most delicious strawberry cake I've had in my life. Colleen was the one who brought it.
The House of Wedded Bliss This was Cheryl's house all decorated up on our wedding day. The only thing that's changed is that there is a lovely white fence in front now.	The Lovely Fence You knew I had to have a picture, right? Thank you, Donna Nash...
Original Barbecue We catered our original barbecue from Glenn's Barbecue in Conyers, GA They were great and the food was excellent. Check out the John Deere tractor on the right...	New Barbecue - Homemade! Mike spent hours smoking the barbecue for this event. It was some of the best I've ever tasted! I think nearly everyone had seconds and I was pulling meat off the bone until I went to bed that night. Just couldn't help myself!
Wedding Day Talk in the Driveway Before the wedding everyone was pretty casual and found places to just relax and talk. The driveway seemed to always attract the crowd. That's me on the right talking with my parents.	Still the Popular Spot Not much has changed. We still like talking in the driveway. On the left is Diane talking with Bob & Becky Oltman and her sister Donna. In the center is Mike talking with Cheryl's neighbor, and on the right is Nick Sherman talking with Cheryl's friend Joiner (R) and her neighbor in the middle.
The Arbor This is not from the old days, but the arbor was there on our wedding day, welcoming people into the back yard. You can see the food table set up with flowers.	Chow Down It was a pretty hot day, so we sat down at the table at places that at least had partial shade.
The Garage Bar The garage was where our band set up originally and played to everyone dancing in the driveway. This time, Tommy and I played for a small but enthusiastic crowd at the end of the evening.	Mint Juleps Anyone? Cheryl made fresh mint juleps throughout the day. They were delicious!
Private Performance I wrote a song for Diane for this occasion, called I Still Do. I sang it for her outside by the tables just before it rained. Colleen had already gone in, so I performed it a second time just for her.	The Two of Us While I was singing for Colleen, Diane joined us. If you'd like to hear the song, it's on my MySpace page. Click our picture to listen.