Neal and I are finally living together now. No more driving home at midnight to wake up at six the next morning. No more feeling like a wanderer between apartments. I have a permanent place to live now, and I couldn't be much happier. The caveat being that warm whether would improve my mood no matter how happy I am. Is it spring yet?
We spent time in California over Christmas break to visit family, get married and have the reception. Everything came together in the end after everything--the ceremony was beautiful, the reception was wonderful, and I got to stand around in a big poofy dress that I might not ever wear again. It is being stored in one of our closets along with the petticoat, and veil, the tiara, and Neal's shirt that got smudged with my makeup when he hugged me before the ceremony.
Other update: we have a cat now. Her full name is Tzeitel Nightfighter (the name of the first daughter from Fiddler on the Roof and a slightly altered version of a freeway exit we saw when driving back from Carmel), but we've taken to calling her Chubbers. For a while, we thought that the cat was too fat to even jump up on the bed. She's learned how to now, but the nickname has stuck.
I feel like I should be writing more about how I felt before, during, and after the ceremony and how I'm feeling now, but I don't know how disclosing I can be on a blog. I'm happy. Very happy. I love Neal very much. It's one of the biggest solaces I have to know that after a 12-hour day on campus, I can come home to Neal and laugh, be held, and sleep. I think I'll leave it there, but do know that I love my husband and the life we're living.
