Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Happiest Day of My Life

Three years ago today I married my soul mate. I have never been so happy or had so much fun and I'd do it all again in a second if I could.



We got engaged unofficially sometime in March - unofficially as in, I decided we were getting married (we'd been talking about it since our second date on Sept 7, 2001) and I wanted to do it before law school started, so I called our church and country club to check on room availability over Labor Day weekend. This snowballed into full blown wedding planning and sometime in May JP finally proposed with my beautiful ring, just in time for engagement pictures to be taken before I jetted off to Europe for 4 weeks. The day after I got back we moved to Chicago, I flew back to Houston a month before the wedding to get my wisdom teeth out and complete the preparations, JP flew down to marry me, and we drove my car up to Chicago together two days after we got hitched. Looking back, that should have been a very stressful summer, but I had a blast. I loved wedding planning - even with only a few months, a very limited budget, and no help (not that I wanted any). I don't understand all the articles I read about women freaking out during the planning process or getting depressed once the big day is over - it's a day, a great day, but it's only the first one of your life together. Have fun, enjoy your friends and family, and as long as your minister/priest/rabbi/officiant knows what s/he is doing, at the end of the day you're going to be married, and that's pretty much the point. And if you're lucky, like we were, you'll also get to be the star of one hell of a party.



My first year of marriage is difficult to characterize. It was one of the hardest and most stressful of my life thanks to 1L at a school that brings new meaning to the word "rigor," but at the same time I can't help but smile when I think back on it. I was just so happy with JP. We were 1,000 miles away from anyone else we knew and quickly learned to rely on each other and ourselves more than we ever had before. I loved coming home to our little loft in downtown Chicago, loved our walks around the city at night, and loved the little ways we made time for each other in the midst of our first years of law school and investment banking. We had dates at crazy times and in crazy places, but we always had fun. There were nights I couldn't sleep because I was just so freaking happy, I'd lay in bed and kick my feet under the covers like a little kid.



Actually, sometimes I still do that. Happy Anniversary babe!

25 comments:

  1. happy happy happy anniversary!!!!!

    mine is coming up next week.. it'll be 4 years.

    you're a hottie and you both look adorable together.

    I adore love stories. my heart is feeling all fuzzyL:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know what you mean about being faraway and alone together! Happy anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy Anniversary! The Best is yet to come....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy Anniversary and many more!! You were a beautiful bride!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, it's awesome to finally see pictures of you both after reading here for so long. What a beautiful couple!

    Happy Anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my gosh, words can't express how beautiful and in love you both look! This post should be on wedding websites to remind brides what it's really all about! I agree with what you say about planning... it was fun! I did it during my 1L year, and started OCI 2 days after the wedding, but I never felt stressed out by it and wouldn't change a thing if I could.
    I remember commenting on how lucky Landon was re: you and JP as politically aware parents and the way in which you share parenting responsibility, but he is also lucky to have two parents who are so freaking in love with one another!
    Happy Anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Aww. Happy anniversary to you and JP!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You were both absolutely radiant. Happy Anniversary! May you have many more happy years to come.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy anniversary!!! You were a beautiful bride! We just celebrated our 6th last month. Sigh. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy Anniversary! Gorgeous pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Happy anniversary!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. happy, happy anniversary to you two!! may you have many, many more!

    ash

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy anniversary. Beautiful wedding pictures. I agree with you about wedding planning, I'm in the midst of planning my wedding for next year and I don't ever feel stressed about it the way some people expect me to be. It's fun planning, but I think people who stress out are too caught up in minor details and making everything so "perfect" and they forget that the point of the wedding is to get married.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Awww...you two make such a beautiful couple. Lovely post.
    --Desimom

    Shout out to Bengali Chick...how are you doing? Blogging again?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy Anniversary! Looks like it was a beautiful wedding.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful pictures! Happy anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy Anniversary!!! Have a great one :)

    (p.s. What a beautiful bride and handsome groom!)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey, we have the same anniversary - and I got married during 1L too. It's a small interwebs.

    Happy anniversary! You guys look adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  19. i will never forget the first football game of our college career...i believe it was August 31, 2001. you and i were sitting together in the front row of the student section and you told me almost immediately after we sat down [paraphrased here] "meg, so i met this guy on the swim team. we all went out drinking last night, and then he and i got kicked out of the bar. after our talk while we walked home together, I think he is the man I'm going to marry". I laughed at first thinking 'no way, we've only been here 1 week!', but then recognized the confidence in that last statement that i started to think it might actually come true! and it did!!

    after our little chat on your front porch on your 3rd anniversary, i am so happy to see how happy you both still are with each other. you have a great view of what marriage should be and your confidence and trust in each other is so encouraging for a single-gal like me. i hope i can one day find the same kind of happiness you and JP have.

    congrats friend!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Happy Anniversary!

    You two look absolutely blissful!!! I'm glad to hear that you just focused on marrying your man and not if every last detail was covered...that makes for a very enjoyable wedding day.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beautiful pictures!
    And Happy Belated Anniversary!

    Just checking out your blog and read back as far as here. Sounds to me like you are doing a great job balancing like as a laywer* (so what does the asterick mean, articling or something?) and mommyhood. And just remember, as long as you and JP are happy and have a good relationship, your little man should be fine.

    Will stop by again, if you don't mind.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love this, and especially the story of how you got married! Happy (very belated) anniversary.

    ReplyDelete