On this day last year I graduated from UNCG with my PhD! What a joyous day that was that involved not one but two ceremonies with a lunch at Natty Greene's between the two events. It was sunny, warm, and packed full of smiles.
365 days later another sunny morning found me donning my gown, hood, and tam at another graduation a couple states away in Ohio. Fortunately, I *only* had to attend one graduation ceremony at my new institution today followed by some yummy food (especially the desserts) at the President's Reception.
Adam was at both events in NC and in OH. Last year, we were on a bit of a euphoric high as a newly engaged couple getting me ready to move from NC to PA for the summer and wondering at what 2015 would bring us since there were still so many unknowns.
Today was equally exciting as it is exactly two weeks prior to the wedding! At one point, one of my new coworkers quipped, "You must be tired of hearing 'Congratulations' but get used to it as this is an exciting time for you two!" Yeah, I'm not tired of hearing it but truth be told, I'm not in wedding mode just yet. I have a feeling that come Monday night I will be though! The early part of last week was focused on finals and grades, then the middle of the week was devoted to moving (I still can't believe I drove a moving truck...!), and now that the weekend is here, graduation and the festivities that came with it took precedence.
Something else that is the same today as last year is that little Dusty Shamrock is sick. Last year, I chalked it up to his eating the new mulch from my brother's landscaping but this year, I'm not sure why he is having the issues with keeping food down and getting sick. Perhaps it's because he is spending more time in the new backyard and getting into vegetation he shouldn't? Maybe it's because he had 3 shots at his annual appointment yesterday? Or he may be picking up on the fact that major changes are occurring (again) and he's sensitive to that? Dear reader, if you could, please keep him in your prayers. I hate to see the little cuddle bug so sick and lethargic. Hopefully he will be back to his usual bundle of energy self soon!
So, looking ahead to next week, once I get through the faculty meeting that is scheduled for the majority of Monday, I can finally turn my full attention to the wedding and work on tying up those loose ends. There are still decorations that need finished, favors to put together, pictures to print, cookies to bake, programs to be made, centerpieces to be collected, a marriage license to be obtained, and I'm sure a bunch of other things that will have to wait for the next week and a half I will have to focus on these things while at home. "I've Been Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner is currently playing as I type this which is making me shake my head at the thought that after all this waiting and planning for the sacrament of matrimony that the big day is nearly here....!!! I wouldn't trade a second of all the waiting that it took to meet Adam and to get to this point as God is SO good and merciful in his blessings!
As much as I grumbled about our living in two separate households the last five months and forever forgetting things at either house when at the other house, I wouldn't change a thing. I think this period of waiting to live in the new house together until after the wedding is helping us to appreciate each other that much more. I notice when Adam pulls the weeds from the garden. He takes the time to come over and watch an episode of The Office at the other house with me. He comments on how much progress has been made in arranging a room of furniture and I appreciate when he drops me off at the other house so I don't have to drive. Carving out the time to see each other no matter how briefly even if it might be inconvenient or require changing out of pajamas to leave the house helps to make us more intentional in spending time together amidst the hustle and bustle as we count down to May 23rd. It would be so easy to just deflate my air mattress, toss the laundry in the back seat, and just move in already. If I were already living here, I wouldn't have slid on ice back in February and damaged my front bumper. We would probably be eating healthier and be in more of a routine not to mention we would have saved a few pennies by consolidating bills/incomes. However, my moving into this house is so much more than the domestic side of things. Folks have asked why I stayed in my current house and some even encouraged me to spend the night, especially when we had company visiting us, but I'm so glad that we waited...it makes our return from the honeymoon to Ohio that much more exciting. Don't get me wrong, as we joked at the reception earlier, our town isn't exactly the hotbed of glamour. Much to my chagrin, we don't even have a Panera but what this town does hold for me now is my first home and where Adam and I will start our lives together as man and wife this summer. As I physically moved my things in this house over the last several weeks, I became aware that this move is so much more than just the physical aspect of putting stuff in one house over the other. It is symbolic in that it represents not only the physical move but the emotional move of Adam and I consciously merging our lives together and working in concert with each other to create a new normal as we live out our vocation of marriage together. I'm not offering myself to Adam as a roommate come May 23rd but instead am presenting myself to him as his wife and in turn am gaining a husband rather than a housemate. Through the grace of God I hope we can be hospitable to others, work through challenges together, and strive to live out our callings in harmony.
That's some pretty heady stuff...! As we left mass tonight, I remarked, "Next time Father sees us, it will be as husband and wife!" Wow! How blessed and fortunate we were to have everything fall into place the way it did...acquiring the house when we did, making improvements along the way (especially thanks to the generous help of a family member), filling it with love from our friends and family via wedding gifts, and having the time to really work on making it a home. By Monday, all of my items will be out of the old house and in the new house so that after the wedding, voila, we return to a united home! Speaking of which, I suppose I should get off here so I can unpack the LAST box! Yippee!!
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