One year ago today, we got married. How wierd to think that a date that we picked while hanging out in John's trailer on a Sunday afternoon (before we were even engaged, by the way...) has now come and gone. How double wierd to think that a day that I never thought would come while I was spending my Friday nights falling asleep at 8 pm and my Saturdays at Costco and Barnes and Noble happened a year ago. Wierdest of all: everything is better than I ever could have expected or predicted.
I knew, one year ago today, that I was marrying the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I wasn't nervous or uncertain at all. My wedding was the most perfect wedding in the history of all mankind, in that it was exactly what I wanted and all of the details came together exactly how we all envisioned they would. I still look back at the pictures and think "That is exactly the color of red that I had in my imagination." or "I am so glad that (insert name of family or friend) was there that day." or "How amazing to have so many women that helped make everything so perfect." I remember being really in the moment, really thankful and really overwhelmed that it was all happening.
Still I know that the wedding is just one day, and as Martha Brockenbrough (one of my favorite blog moms) so aptly stated "the best moments in life aren't the ones that you can plan, cater and photograph." So, even though I was certain I was making the right choice, that definitely didn't prepare me for everything I was about to experience. From the honeymoon on, there have definitely been moments that made the addage of "just because you love someone doesn't mean it's easy to live with them" completely true. From me being annoyed that he wanted to eat out for breakfast on our honeymoon (Normal people eat a small breakfast, then eat out for a early, tasty lunch! I have no idea where I got this opinion, by the way) to him being annoyed that I won't let him eat Chili Cheese fries every night, or that I have tried to substitute turkey meat in some recipes. I have to be honest and say that there were those nights that I was crying for no reason, and bummed that he couldn't climb into my brain and figure out why I was upset and say just the right thing. Or those days that involved cleaning up Mosrite's puke, making dinner after a long day, realizing that we have no clean clothes for the next day, and John's lunch still needs to be made.
Sometimes, I would be a grump and not get over it. Most of the time, though, I would manage to remember what life used to be like, which could do nothing but make be thankful that that time is over! Here is an example of my daily routine: I would be at school as long as possible, go home, then go to the gym (usually on an empty stomach, since I had already eaten my 100 calorie snack after school, and didn't have any calories allowed until dinner). I would stay at the gym until I had burned the requisite number of calories, then go home and make dinner. A dinner consisting of some form of protein and veggie, adding up to exactly how many calories I had left from the day. The entire day's total could only be 1200-1300, so if I had been extra hungry that day, dinner might be A LOT of water and mostly water veggies. Hopefully this would keep me full-ish until about 8:15, when I would pop myself a big bowl of unsalted and unbuttered popcorn, that I had to finish by 8:30, since no calories could be consumed after 8:30. If I started feeling peckish before bed time, I would usually drink flavored tea with sweet and low. Then I would go to bed, and wake up to repeat the entire thing all over again. Now that that is not what my habits consist of, I am able to ask myself: Do I want to go back to that? Is something that John is doing enough to make me wish he was gone, and I all I had was calories to count? Of course, the answer is a resounding NO! That was a sad non-life.
So, yes, there have been some unexpected sort of unpleasant things. What's awesome, though, is the unexpected wonderfully pleasant things. The way he always says "Bye, lovie" in the morning. The way that he takes care of me, Mosrite and Ibanez. The way he gets things done, because they need to be done. The way he tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. The way he helps me to see that I don't need to stress, and that it's okay to be happy. The way he is starting to talk like me (I have actually heard him say "That is not my favorite thing." and "That was unpleasant."). The way he holds my hand. The way simple things make him happy. The way he would do anything for me, even if he acts like he doesn't want to. The way he mops the floor for me, so I don't have to. The way he still asks "What's wrong?" when I sigh. The way he laughs when something is really funny. The way he gets really passionate about something he believes in. The way he overcomes when he is nervous. The way he can fix anything. The way he can find his way around anywhere. The way he encourages me. The way his hair gets crazy when he works really hard. The way he always loves me.
The thing that is funny, is that I know it will get even better than it is now. We have been through some pretty big experiences that have brought us closer, but we have many more ahead of us. I know that someday I will look at this entry and think "How cute. Look at what she thought she knew." Obviously, this shows that God knew what he was doing when he designed this whole marriage thing to be for life. Praise Him for that, because I don't think I could ever go through this again with anyone else! :)
So, yes, I love being married. I love being married to John. I love being called Mrs. Bryson. I love knowing that there is plenty yet to come.
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