It's funny, how one choice leads to an opportunity for another, and that series of choices creates your path. These choices define your journey. There are countless choices that have lead you to exactly where you are, right now. And when you make that decision to marry the person you do - looking back at all the choices made to get you to that point can suddenly seem monumental. The choice to say "I do" to this man, however, was also the easiest choice I've ever made. I've now been a married woman for nearly three weeks. I'm still feeling overwhelmed and occasionally brought to tears of pure happiness thinking about the most special day of my life. And while we both agree that this has been "real" for a very long time. There is still something different about being a wife. And it's certainly not this once unknown and previously terrifying feeling of "settling down" that I was tentative to approach. It's quite the opposite in that sense, actually. I'm now married to this person I have loved and felt completely devoted to for so long. This unwavering partnership is now a commitment - out loud and all legal. And it feels exciting. It feels like we hit fast forward from the first time we hugged - the day we met - to this very place, and it's exactly where we knew we would be... Well, maybe not suddenly both unemployed and homeless as well. But really, this coincidence also seems par for the course in our journey. Both of us exercising a growth mindset, love of adventure, accepting of support from family and friends and ability to appreciate the twists, turns and bumps in the road make this situation exciting more than unsettling. So - why not get engaged, plan a wedding in 6 weeks and then travel for months? We didn't see any reason not to take this opportunity, make this commitment and live our life the best way we know how. Our Wedding Day August 13th, 2016 was perfection. I posted about it on my Insta: _eatrunlove_ Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 104 likes We can't get over how absolutely perfect our wedding day was. Running through the redwoods in the morning. Getting ready for the ceremony surrounded by the most wonderful friends and family in an amazing space. Me being walked down the aisle by my brother, with Erik's sister singing. Aunt Kate officiating. The three of us not knowing what the others would be saying and so excited to be speaking the words we chose. Taking photos with our favorite people followed by photos with just the two of us in the redwoods. Walking into our kick-ass taco dinner. Drinking this amazing bottle of Dom given to us by my boss and his husband. The speeches. I can't even. Donny hilarious and heartfelt. And Jo - who hates public speaking - bringing us all to tears (even now), and including Tim and Hunter in the most special way. Our parents - baking the sweets, providing family jewelry, picking up the tab on things that slipped through the cracks, a beautiful speech. Dancing. Cooking mallows around the fire pit. Solid participation in the karaoke room. And just maybe closing out the night with a skinny dip in the pool with the people that made it out past 1AM. It was more than I ever thought it could be. We are so very grateful for each other and for all of those that made the trip and sent their congratulations from around the world. Cheers - to all of you - we are humbled and wish you all the happiness that we have found. The Planning It wasn't just the day that was perfect, it was the process. The complete support we had from people rolling up their sleeves to make this happen so quickly was overwhelming. We moved in with Jon and Kate (Erik's and now my Uncle and Aunt) in Santa Cruz and pretty much took over everyone's free time with to-do lists. From the donated family home as our venue, to my friend Zu agreeing to manage day-of logistics for a fraction of her usual prices. From Sacha and Jeff (Erik's and now my cousins) doing anything and everything to prepare the venue to host 100 people, to my mom getting on an airplane (she hates to fly) to be there and make desserts for the wedding. Every way we turned, there was someone there to help. Erik was also hands-on with making this happen. Owning his own wardrobe and that of his groomsmen, selecting and booking the catering, making the cocktails, making desserts, helping with a couple of the craft projects and assisting Jeff and Uncle Jon with anything that needed to be done at the venue. He was there. Proving over and over that we are a partnership in all things. The most amazing thing he did, however, was aid in the best surprise of my life. My brother Ben and my sister-in-law Victoria recently had twin girls (and made me a happy Auntie!) and were very disappointed that they would not be able to swing the last minute trip to California. Of course we understood and I planned to walk myself down the aisle. And then this happened: And just like that, my baby brother showed up at our rehearsal, prepared to walk me down the aisle. He showed up, and that is everything. I'm still at a loss for words to explain these emotions as I've certainly never been surprised like this in my life. Pure happiness. And love. After "I do"
Since we've made it all official - and after sleeping for almost a full day, straight - we set our planning to the next exciting step: travel. We've moved out of Jon and Kate's house in Santa Cruz, purged even more of our belongings, moved temporarily to Florida, had a wedding reception in Orlando with Erik's friends and family, and I'm just finishing up at my job. During this wedding and honeymoon planning, and now actual travel, I have been and will continue training for the Portland Marathon in October. (It's been a challenging training period - but more on that later...) We leave for our 3+ month honeymoon on Labor Day and we have absolutely no idea where we will land after that. "Settling down" in a traditional sense is not in the cards for us. Being together, no matter what, is - and that is what this time of transition has shown us. When we whittle everything else away: our jobs, home, savings and possessions, the reason we chose to say "I do" is because the most important thing to each of us is one another.
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AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
March 2022
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