So Many Words: That One Time I Got Married While Also Having a Stomach Bug

December 30, 2006 is the day I married my Grant. It is also the day that I woke up with a horrendous, 24 hour stomach virus.

ISN'T THAT SPECIAL?!

My family and I were sick as dogs on the wedding day. I think, by the end of it all, we counted about thirty-something people amongst our family and wedding party that were hit by the Great Wedding Virus of 2006.

All I know is, there was a moment that I was laying on the couch in my parents' house, making some last minute adjustments to the reception seating arrangements with my sister, while wearing pajamas and holding a bucket. And all I could think is "I'm getting married at 6 o'clock. I AM GETTING MARRIED AT SIX O'CLOCK. TODAY. AND IT IS 10AM AND I AM IN MY PAJAMAS AND I AM LAYING ON A COUCH AND HOLDING A BUCKET AND I AM GETTING MARRIED KIND OF IMMEDIATELY AND I LOOK LIKE DEATH AND I DON'T WANT TO GET OFF THIS COUCH HELP ME JESUS."

My parents were sick. My sister was sick. Groomsmen were sick. You know who wasn't sick?

GRANT.

Isn't that just how life goes?

As I'm sure you can imagine, we just powered through and made it happen because I had no intentions of delaying my marriage any longer. I wanted it. I wanted Grant. And I wanted us.

And let me tell you, my friends.... it has mostly been good, but it has also been hard. We've been married for 8 years today, and we have had some doozies, if you know what I mean. We went to marriage counseling in the first year, folks, because HEY, YOU DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY THAN ME.

I'm gonna go ahead and admit right now that I'm not the easiest person to live with. I'm a whole lot of fun but I'm also quite exasperating and I'm not all there, if you know what I mean. And that man of mine also has a tendency to make things a whole lot more complicated than they need to be and that is seventeen kinds of frustrating.

However, at the end of the day, and at the end of 8 years, I can also say that Grant is God's gift to me. Our marriage, as young as we were (22, hello!) was and is a work in progress that continues to surprise me and delight me. He is fun and he is funny and he is sacrificial and he is calming and he is quirky and he is godly and He is intentional and he is particular and he is strong and he is so smart I can't even handle it sometimes. Don't even get me started on watching him be a daddy to our daughter. I will just boo hoo into a puddle. He's just steadfast and steady as a rock. I'm so glad she has that in him.

One of the negatives about getting married immediately after the holidays is that by the time your anniversary rolls around, you've spent the last few weeks going to parties and dressing up and seeing family and traveling all over and spending sooooo much money that your anniversary celebration kinda falls to the back burner. And that's okay, because we can celebrate later. But, today, on our 8th anniversary, I just want to say how thankful I am for that man of mine. I'm so blessed by him and I absolutely did not deserve him, and I still don't. I don't know why God is so generous with me. It blows me away.

I'd also like to thank our sweet, precious, wedding coordinator at the church for wrapping a bucket in tulle and placing it at the altar, just in case I needed to, oh you know, VOMIT WHILE I WAS GETTING MARRIED. I'd like to thank God for keeping that particular scenario away from our nuptials. I stopped throwing up earlier in the day, and that is one of my favorite wedding gifts.

See, look, here I am waiting for the ceremony to begin. Please note the ginger ale and hand sanitizer on the counter top.