we drove down to the old court house in santa ana, your average morning traffic with a side of coffee and cigarettes and talk radio. parked and paid and wore the biggest of grins as we waited with our two very best friends for our names to be called.
it was a small private room and we stood before the officiant, repeating the traditional standard vows. but in our own voice, spoken with meaning and promise, giving each word life. kissing passionately. it maybe took fifteen minutes, possibly less, i don't recall, but i DO remember the awe that followed. i'm a wife. i'm his wife. we're married! we're forever. even still, i blush with humble pride to call him husband, it raises up the sweetest swell of love inside me - that simple fact - husband.
we left hand in hand. beaming. walking pass the homeless to get to the car. and they smiled and congratulated us and quite literally shared in our happiness for a few moments as we passed. one woman in particular remains clear in my memory, maybe because she showered us with loud and confident greetings as we came and went, or maybe it was me, and the happiness inside me bursting to be shared with anyone crossing our path.
then slipped off the heels and settled in for the long drive up the 101 to the private and serene hills of ojai blaring phantom planet's "california" and singing loudly out of cue with my best friend, my husband.
i'll never forget that day, how perfectly normal it was. how mundane and simple and matter-of-fact it was. but everything about that day brings me great joy.
and the weekend that followed. the giddiness, the acres of privacy, the sun rise, the intimacy, the laughter, the outdoor shower! the silence, the rest, the sharing, the music, the nudity, the openness, the bug bites, the realization as we soaked it all up: our lives, our hearts, our home, completely and utterly (and officially!) devoted to each other now and always.
happy anniversary to my husband, to three years of ups and downs, to successes and set backs, to every day life and still being madly in love throughout it all. i'll forever adore you, for the man you are, for the way you care for my heart, for the love that reaches and accepts all of my darkness and shortcomings, for your raw honesty, for you playful banter and endless encouragement. you are an extraordinary husband.