11/11/11 once in a century
Ashlee Witham and her fiancé, Jason Pickering, said they’re getting married on 11-11-11 because the numbers hold special meaning to them.
“Ever since we’ve been together — we met in August of 2007 — we have always had a special thing with the time 11:11 on the clock,” Witham said. “And it’s so funny because we both tend to see it morning and night.”
Making a wish at 11:11 is something Witham did growing up with friends and family and got Pickering involved with.
They’ll even text ‘11:11, make a wish’ to each other sometimes.
They kept wishing on 11:11 for three years for Pickering to get custody of his two children, Taylor, 15, and Brody, 13.
It happened.
Witham said she also wished on 11:11 for the couple’s son, Caleb, 2.
When she was younger, she said, she’d wish for the perfect man.
“He may not be perfect, but he’s perfect for me and we’re perfect for each other,” she said.
While Pickering and Witham have been engaged for two years, they decided about a month ago that they wanted to get married today.
“It just seemed like it was the right thing to do at the right time,” Pickering said.
The couple, who both work at Hoosier Park, will be getting married in a VIP banquet room there with close friends and family in attendance.
“I couldn’t be happier with (the planning),” Witham said. “Everything is just falling perfectly into place.”
The room was available, which is a big deal because it’s getting closer to Christmas and it starts to quickly fill up, all the family they invited can make it, Witham got the dress that caught her eye — the couple’s second child is due on Valentine’s Day and there was only one dress left in her size — and everything else just worked out.
“I think it all just kind of came together like it was supposed to,” Pickering said.
Along with a lot of weddings are a lot of birthdays.
Max Keithley is 11 years old today.
His mom, Whitney, said they’re taking him to Caribbean Cove in Indianapolis to swim and stay the night with friends. They are also getting him a limo to share with his friends because she said this is an “extra special birthday.”
“I thought that it was pretty unique,” Barb Mallernee said of her grandson’s birthday.
Unique because it only happens once a century.
“That really doesn’t happen a lot,” Max said. “It’s cool I’m one of those people.”
Whitney Keithley spoke of the “golden day” of birthdays when one’s age matches the day, like Max turning 11 on Nov. 11.
Max is calling it his platinum day, though, since not only the day, but the month and year are matching up with his age.
“I’m kind of really excited,” Max said. “It’s going to be really cool.”
Richard Elmore is 80 today and instead of asking for gifts, he’s asking for people to come and share stories.
And he and his wife, Pearl, have some great ones to share. The couple has lived a life full of adventure.
When they got married in the 1970s, they went on a motorcycle trip for their honeymoon.
Actually, they went on multiple motorcycle trips with friends, and with Richard’s work with Delco Remy and Delco Battery, he spent a lot of time at Indianapolis races in the pit and got to go overseas to places like Australia.
During one motorcycle trip through Kansas, they stopped to get lunch. When they walked in, no one would pay attention to them and it was silent.
“We got our food, we got out, we went and got our coats on and helmets on and here’s all these people on this window looking at us,” Elmore said.
“I said, ‘Oh, my God, they think we’re the Hells Angels or something going to murder them.’ That was so funny. You could just see the relief on their faces that that gang’s left,” his wife added.
But the family has endured some journeys they never wanted.
“He’s my hero,” Pearl Elmore said. “He’s fought cancer three times and he’s still here.”
The family would love to share more stories, and hear some as well, during the party being held from 4 to 8 p.m. at their home today.
Can’t forget anniversaries.
Frank and Patty Woschitz are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary today and said the day is special because it will not happen again for another 100 years.
It’s also important because it is Veterans Day, Frank said. He thinks it should be a bigger deal than it is because so many soldiers have sacrificed themselves, he said.
It also marks the wedding anniversary of Patsy’s parents, James and Margaret Collins, who are now deceased, and the birthday of Frank’s mother, Anna Woschitz, also deceased.
“We did not attempt to (have these all fall on the same day),” he said. “It just happened that way.”
Source: heraldbulletin
