R e - P e t e

Early in our engagement, Emily and I often joked about eloping. We would poke fun at going to Vegas or we would imagine what it would be like to be off on some pacific island with water as clear as glass and the whitest sand ever seen. Wedding? This wasn’t for us, this was for everyone else. We already knew we loved each other.

In my college/early 20s, I’ve had that conversation with people who think that the wedding is an invention of the christian church. Or they think that it’s simply a western custom that’s perpetuated and not necessary. These people who say that being devoted to each other and not married is just as good.

I’m not here to say it isn’t. I wouldn’t make such a bold refutation. But I would have to disagree.

As many of you know, Em and I have been together for 7 years (pushing 8). I’ve joked that we’ve practically been married for quite a while now. It’s hard not to feel that way since we lived together (in some form or another) for some time. We do everything together and spend most of our waking moments together (if you don’t include work). We’ve taken many trips together, cooked many meals together and have had our fair share of fights and laughs.

But I realize, now, how wrong I was. This weekend wasn’t just for everyone else. This weekend was truly for us.

As cliche as it sounds, it really was worth it. It was more than worth it; it was the best day of my life (also cliche, but oh so true). I definitely have more grey hairs because of this process and it seemed grueling at times. Torture, some might say. And, in some ways, it was just planning a big party.

But when I found myself up there with Emily, and in the witness of people who mean the most to us on this Earth, in our lives, I could not help but feel that this was for us.

When you begin to date someone, there is no real public declaration, there are no promises, and few around you benefit from the light and joy. In time, this slowly changes. You’re expected to always be in the presence of your other half, and you expect things from each other and friend groups are brought together.

The wedding was special to me because it was the culmination of those experiences. In the presence of people who’ve touched our lives the most, we declared our devotions to each other. We grasped hands in the journey of marriage, promising never to let go or look back. We asked everyone to support us in this journey.

So here we go!

Jon Stewart has me crying-laughing!

I just love the selection of pic they used for the story.

So I guess I get a free Flickr Pro account since I subscribe to AT&T Yahoo DSL service. I’m pretty excited about it. Even though I’ve had Gallery setup on my own website to manage photos, I’ve always had a bit of a love affair with Flickr. I could never justify paying for a Pro account since I pay for space on my website. But, hey, if they’ll give it to me for free, then I’ll take it!

I’ve been exploring a bit and I guess Flickr is getting into video. It’s a bit of a crowded market but they have the community so I’m pretty excited to see what they’ll do with it. Meanwhile, I’ll be staring at cool videos like this: