Lucky Thirteen

Today is my anniversary. Galen and I got married thirteen years ago today.

Thanks!
[Assuming you, the reader, have just mentally said, "Happy Anniversary!"]

Nothing big. We've had a lot going on the past several weeks and decided to keep things very low-key this year.
[Now assuming you've just asked, "What are you doing to celebrate?"]

I decided this morning it might be kind of fun (...for ME, at least. Mildly irritating to others.) to update my Facebook and Twitter status every couple of hours or so throughout the day with "Thirteen years ago today, at THIS time, I was..."
I can't wait for 5:45. At 5:45 on September 21, 1996, the ceremony was over, we were pronounced "husband and wife" and began our recessional down the aisle, our first walk as a married couple. I will never forget that walk together. The ceremony preceding was beautiful and wonderful, but I admit, parts of it all are a bit hazy. I think adrenaline and nerves surrounding a big event will do that to you. But the reason our recessional walk together is so vivid, is because it was that moment when a loud, bright realization hit me - hard - and these words went through my entire being like an electric shock to my soul:
"What the hell did we just DO?!? We just got MARRIED!!!"

I can almost hear you laughing, confusedly.
I can also almost hear you saying to yourself some variation of "Well, no duh, Blakely, 'you just got married'... it was your WEDDING DAY!"
Yes, I get that. I get the whole "wedding means getting married" thing, believe me.
But, you know, despite the weeks of planning for it, talking about it, thinking about it, praying about it, pre-marital counselling, eating, breathing, sleeping it... it was THAT moment, walking back down the aisle on Galen's arm... a minister just moments before finalizing our status before God, sealing us together in the most sacred of ways... that it just HIT me: I really, truly and sincerely MARRIED. We did it. For the rest of my life, no matter what God puts before us, Galen and I are... married. Wow...

Then the next thought that ran through my head was something along the lines of, "Is Galen INSANE?!?" Occasionally I still ask myself that question... poor guy.

That was a stunning realization, in the very truest sense of the words. I was joyful for it then, and I can tell you from every fiber of my being, I'm even more joyful for it all now. He was my best friend then and he most certainly still is now. I'm sometimes amazed that I can still make him laugh after 24/7/13yrs together. Can't he just predict everything I'm going to say, anymore? Doesn't he know me well enough to be bored by now? I now know what the old cliche means, "I love him more now than the day we got married." He's a good man. He's my gift, undeserved, and once upon a time, un-looked for. I not only love him, I like him, too.

Happy anniversary, Galen!