hoopla

andy and i were married on september 21, 2008.

i'd thought about what i wanted my wedding to be like many times over the years.

who would be there, where we'd be, what colors would be flying through the air, what kind of songs would be sung. of course i'd thought of who i would be standing next to, and what we would say to each other. but it was better than i had ever imagined. the man i stood next to, my andy, had made me realize that it is all so worth it. the each morning and every day of it all. the forgiveness, the memories, the grief, the real happiness and the trust. i had done some things differently and was proud of how i'd changed. i had become the kind of person that fell in love with a guy like that, and we both said yes.

the day was perfect. our friends were there and our family was standing up tall.

i was so, so tired, and swept up, and amazed. i was full of gratitude and diet coke. andy looked at me and i looked at him and we stood up there in front of our people and promised to take care of each other forever.

the love was loud, and there was a photo booth. at several points in the evening, we slipped inside of the booth and pulled the curtain to give ourselves a moment. we let the flash capture our dazed faces and our big eyes; those little strips won't let us forget.