Newlyw/Ed

So we’ve joined the ranks of those before us and have now entered into the world of the “so how’s married life” question. We’ve heard it more than a few times already and it hasn’t even been three weeks. So far our answer has been this…”married life is great” … and it is. What’s not great about a nice ceremony…followed by a celebration with family…and then a week off of work…err.. I mean honeymoon!

Don’t worry…we realize there will be trials ahead (it can’t all be perfect right?), but for right now…we really are enjoying the “honeymoon phase.”

I’m also really enjoying looking at all of the photos from the wedding. Now if you know me (and you probly do if you are reading this blog) I am VERY picky about pictures – I sort of have a good picture side and well…yeah…you get the point. I imagined that I would either love or hate all of the pictures. Well guess what…I love them. I can’t stop looking at them. Not because I think I look so pretty in all of them…but because I look so happy…oh and that I heart looking at my hot husband as well.

The candid shots I have from my friends and family and the professional photos from Jeff Hall are one of the greatest reminders of what I’m calling the best day of my life …so far. I mean really…who wouldn’t love a stream of well wishers and smiles coming into my little “getting ready room”…all of the “you look so pretty” and “aww” comments.

I felt like one of those brides from some small tribe in the remote parts of the world…on the National Geographic channel where she’s in a hut and everybody comes in and covers her with mud or face paint and sing to her– because it’s a special tradition and they love her…except no one put mud on me…but they did love me.

It was much fun to have an entire day devoted to everyone being super nice to me! I have many sarcastic friends but on that day – it was all happiness and heartfelt love – less snarkiness. Nice touch girls. Nice touch! And my mom and friends didn’t even have to use that soft, reserved voice that people use when they are talking to someone crazy or irrational. I was neither crazy or irrational! I wasn’t even nervous…I was just waiting. The waiting got hard about ten minutes til time to walk down the aisle. I think I was just ready to see him…see Eddie. And when I started walking down the aisle, he is all I did see.

Our wedding day – the day I have dreamed of for a long time – was in a word…perfect. From the perfect weather we were blessed with to the smallest details…everything came together just right. We wanted the day to be about our love and not a lot of fuss

There were a few agreed upon ideas about what we wanted in a wedding. A small intimate ceremony was at the top of the list. Not only would I have had to carry a barf bag down the aisle had we married in front of more than our handful of guests – I would have been a nervous wreck for months before worrying about all who were attending and not focusing on the important things – like what color shoes I would wear or how we would do my hair. Kidding.

We also wanted a beautiful place to say our vows and boy did we ever get that dream come true. The chapel at the Cliffs was amazing and beautiful. Most importantly, we wanted our wedding to be about two things our love for God and our love for each other. Once we established that it was pretty easy to figure out everything else.

Though I imagined I would be so nervous when I woke up and get car sick on the way up – I didn’t. I actually felt really good – and didn’t even need the ginger ale and saltine crackers that were available for my consumption and sanity.

Though Regina did try to force me to eat a little so that I would not pass out at the altar. She even stuck a peppermint in my mouth to ensure that I wouldn’t pass out from low blood sugar once I got to the altar and to make sure my breath was kissable fresh. Like Dionne says, “That’s what friends are for!” Love ya RKB!

Getting ready was much fun. RKB, Alicia and Shay were there to make me laugh and make me smile and keep my mind occupied. Karen did a super fabulous job on my hair – as always! And we know I heart having pretty hair.

Thankful.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about our wedding day. I am and eternally will be thankful to God for blessing me with such an amazing friend, husband, love. He is perfect for me. He is different from me. He’s a whole lot like him and I actually love him for it. :) Not only does he complete me (not in that Jerry Maguire kind of way) but he complements me as well.

Not compliment in the the “you look hot” way (well he does that too)…but complement… in the way that our two parts make up the whole – our strengths and weaknesses balance each other out. Yes…I’ll admit I’m not always perfect…and brace yourselves…I have faults and weaknesses . But Eddie balances my faults and weaknesses out with his strengths and I like to think that I do the same for him.

Did you know that I am completely, ridiculously, madly in love with my husband? I like him better than I like all of you combined…and I like all of you a whole lot. I am no longer daydreaming about what my husband will be like…I can just reach over and touch his fingers or mess with his hair. I can either pinch me or pinch him and no matter which one I do it to – it’s still real.

When the wedding ceremony was all said and done, we were exhausted but deliriously pleased with everything. I think I said “we’re married” many times (just in case he was unaware of the reason I had him dress up in a tux and put a ring on my finger…) through the day. It wasn’t just a dream…it was reality…it is reality… and it is better than I could have ever imagined.