One year down, a lifetime to go

Today is my one-year wedding anniversary!

Thats right! One year ago today, (Yes, on a Monday!) I was getting ready for work, and also getting ready to marry my amazing husband!

In a very small ceremony, with only our immediate family members in attendance, after each working a half-day, we said our “I do’s” at a local pizza parlor (shout out to Pizza Palace!) before sitting down to a few slices of pizza and some wedding cupcakes. It was certainly the most casual wedding I had ever attended, and for me? It was perfect.

Ever since I can remember, I had a horror of being a Bride–having to wear the elaborate white dress, walking down an aisle with a million eyes staring at you, and having to dance in front of everyone. I understand for some people that’s the dream: to have one day where you get to feel like a princess. But to me, that idea was a true nightmare. Yet I didn’t want to completely elope, either. I am my parents’ only daughter, and it felt like if we eloped, I’d be robbing them of something that they had looked forward to my whole life.

I love that John was along for the ride, whatever we decided. We talked about waiting until the summer and doing a small outdoor wedding, and then the following weekend a cookout for all of our extended family, but ultimately, when it came down to it, we just wanted to be married without all the fuss, the expense, the stress.

And that’s the story of our wedding! There were no bridesmaids, no band, no drama–just 20 people getting together and sharing pizza on a Monday evening. My grandparents and parents attended, and John’s children and grandchildren all attended, and every now and then I stop and think about how lucky we are to have been able to have everyone together like that.

It was a very casual way to begin our marriage, it’s true. But we don’t take our marriage itself casually. We are constantly working on our communication with each other–we both have the natural inclination to keep our feelings bottled up inside of us until the cork pops off–and my constant disorganization has led to more than a few arguments. The most important thing though, is we’re the first to celebrate the other’s successes, and the first to support their failures. We laugh together every day because we’re both very silly. We take seriously the important things, and let the other things slide.

We’ve been on several excursions this year–none of them formally a “honeymoon” but some of them unofficially so–and it’s truly excellent to share wonderful experiences with someone that you love. Niagara Falls is amazing, and I’m so happy that we were able to experience the wonder of it together. To have someone hold my hand during the scary parts (the Maid of the Mist boat ride got a bit dicey for me!) and to laugh with when we were safely back on solid land.

If given the opportunity to change anything in my life, go back to childhood and make different choices to come out in a different place in life, I used to say I’d do it in a heartbeat. Now? I would never want to do anything to prevent John and I from having met, because truly? He is my person. He’s the one I’m meant to spend my life with. I just feel really fortunate every day that he and I have each other.

So John, if you read this: I love you, and I can’t wait to spend another thousand years with you!