Six months and counting

Today is November 24, and that means that officially Dan and I have been married for six months. I was told by a newly married friend that time goes fast when you're married, and wow, was she right. I'm afraid of waking up one day and finding that I'm forty! I think life is better right now than it has ever been, and I don't want to miss a minute of it. Married life is SO much better than dating!

I'm going to attempt to write a short tribute to the last six months. Since it's now 5:50 in the morning, I'm not sure whether it will turn out way too mushy or just plain ridiculous. Read at your own risk!

Favorite wedding day moment: It's a toss up, so I'll pick three. First, seeing him for the first time, me in my wedding dress, him looking oh-so-handsome in his tux. Second, saying my vows to Dan and seeing his reaction. Fun stuff. Third, our kiss after the vows. Dan pulled out all the stops and performed a swoop-your-woman-up-in-your-arms-and-smooth-her number, I think much to our pastor's amusement or horror, I'm not sure which. It was great.

Worst wedding moment: There's not much to work with here, but I'll say our rehearsal. It was a zoo and made me think that our wedding might turn out to be a freak show (it wasn't.) We were both frustrated because everyone had opinions about everything, and we were even told we couldn't run (walk briskly?) back down the aisle when we were pronounced husband and wife. We did anyway once we were married. :)

Best married traditions: Mugs of hot cocoa on Saturday mornings. Yum. The off-to-work kisses in the morning and the honey-I'm-home kisses at night. Friday night dates, which sometimes are as simple as going to work out together or watching a movie at home and eating popcorn. The point is being together, not how fancy the date is.

What we're most thankful for in the past six months: Our church. Honestly, I don't know what we would have done without Cornerstone. We've met so many awesome people and have wholeheartedly enjoyed getting plugged in there. God is so good.

Most annoying habits discovered: When you've dated for 3 1/2 years, we had hoped there wouldn't be too many surprises in store as far as this goes. I did discover pretty early on that Dan apparently took pains to remove each and every sock from his foot inside out and left them that way to go through the wash. Solution: he realized his socks were never clean going through the washer like that, and mended his ways. Dan discovered fairly early on that I had the charming habit of squeezing the toothpaste from the top instead of the bottom (I know, classically annoying, huh?) Solution: separate toothpaste tubes. I guess also qualify for more annoying habits, mainly rolling onto his side of the bed at night and pushing him to the very edge, and stealing all the covers.

Worst married moment: It's probably every Tuesday, when we get up at 5 a.m. to get Dan to work by 6 a.m. We just don't talk while we're getting ready. My body is always very clever and helpful on Monday nights and makes sure I sleep the worst on these nights. So making a sandwich in the morning becomes a colossal challenge (although I think Dan tried to put a box of cereal in the refrigerator one morning, so I suppose I'm not alone). I have to be honest and say there have been no dramatic fights. Sure, we have our moments when we get frustrated with each other, but I can't come up with any real winners to share here. We'd like to keep it that way.

Most dramatic married moment: Okay, I'll share something that's rather personal on here. Last month there were a couple weeks where it seemed like a very good possibility that I might be pregnant. It feels silly to share that on a blog, but I share it because I have never been more thankful for my husband or more proud of what the Lord is doing in his life. He showed far more maturity and wisdom and faith than I did in responding to that new thought, and he was a rock for me. And no, it turns out we are NOT expecting, but I think the Lord never wastes an experience on our lives and never fails to use them to show us something new about ourselves.

Thanks, Dan, for a great past six months. I know that despite whatever challenges they may bring, the next six months, and the future beyond, will be a joy and a blessing simply because we are together.

Stephanie