029.5

January 29 and one-half, 2008 :: Simon says, 'get married!'

My first instinct here was to post a nice photo of Blake and I walking somewhere together, you know, in the spirit of the blog. But, I just love this photo so much (and I'm wildly impatient), so I thought I'd do this instead.

In case anyone but Audrey and work folk (who already know things) read this, here's the deal. We're getting married.

I spent a few minutes "lost in the ether" as Mr. Rainey up there would say, ranting to myself an this little blog box about all the stuff I find icky about engagements and weddings in the traditional sense. (All-caps screaming, exclamation-point wielding, expensive dress-wearing, squealy LUV!! and stuff.) Such pomp and circumstance are just not my thang. Then I deleted it. Because I think I've kicked about the anti-bride Chucks about as much as I care to. Instead, this -

Here's how it went: Blake and I discussed getting married over tacos at a fish house across the street from a cemetery. Then we went home and got 10 minutes into a movie about two strangers who fall in love playing music together, dug deeply into our own well of recognition for that particular romantic fantasy/reality, and discussed more. We talked about commitment and spending time and taking care of one another. Blake told me he looks at the old couples at the hospital and looks forward to what it will be like when we’re them. He asked me if I’d push him in a wheelchair when we’re 90. And that sealed it, I think. There’s a sweetness and a sadness in that question that is 1000% Blake, and 1000% of why I love him and why when he asked if I was sure I wanted to spend my life with him, I said yes. Without a doubt. Then, we decided that 2009 was our year. It all went down exactly as I would have wanted.


Here's how the wedding will be: It'll be us. Not sure what that means exactly yet, but there will be casualness and good liquor and simple food and lots of live music. The rest - well, we've got a year to hash that out.

So it went. I'm "engaged." He's my "fiance." It's weird, and we both feel different somehow. Good different, but different. Amazing.