Happy Anniversary, Aaron Jack

aaron-

a year ago today, i woke up at 6am by the alarm in my head saying, “you’re getting married today!” i remember leaving renee and amanda to their dreams and quietly leaving my room. i looked at my bed and thought, “bed, i won’t be sleeping in you anymore. it’s been nice, but i’m not too sad.”

i went downstairs to find my parents already hard at work with last minute preparations. the living room floor was covered in white lanterns. my dad was outside. i found my mom in her room. “can you believe this day is finally here?” she asked. i couldn’t. but i was glad.

i looked at the clock. 6:30. i wouldn’t see you or talk to you for over 12 hours still. why did we pick a 7:00 wedding again?

my mom and i helped my dad carry lanterns out to the trees. the backyard was not just a backyard that day. it was a beautiful fairy tale. i looked at the spot between the two trees that we had stood at countless times the past year dreaming about this day. the spot where i would stand with you that night and promise forever. 12 more hours.

breakfast was not appealing. my bridesmaids awoke and we started the day. “it’s your wedding day!” “how do you feel?” “what do you think aaron’s doing?” so many questions. so many thoughts spiraling around. but you were at the center of all of them.

we met your mom and lisa at the spa at 10am. 9 more hours. pedicures tickle my feet. it’s weird having my picture taken constantly. but i was happy. overwhelmingly happy.

12:00. 7 more hours. lunch at panera bread. i was still not hungry. but food sounded like a wise choice. i ate some without really tasting it.

back at my house, people are abuzz. so much to get done. the part of me that would normally panic and want to help backed down though. not that day. that day was not for panicking.

my one mission at this time was to track down the notes you promised me. i hunted for my dad and took him away from his project to get them for me. i needed to at least read your voice. 6 more hours.

hair and makeup took over my bedroom. the notes were my saving grace to get me to each hour. time was ticking by so slowly.

3:00. 4 more hours. time to get my hair done. jenn was running late. no panicking.

4:00. 3 more hours. makeup. i felt like my face was melting off because it was 90 degrees outside and inside felt just as hot for some reason.

family started to show up and you were next door. you were so close. but it was only 5:00. 2 more hours.

at this point, the nerves set in a bit. not bad nerves. good nerves. but i stole away to the only cool room in the whole house and locked the door. it was getting really close now. our wedding. the start of our marriage. i couldn’t wait to see my best friend all dressed up waiting for me between those two trees. i couldn’t wait. 6:00. 1 more hour. my last note from you.

it was time for me to get dressed. my mom finally made it up after working hard all afternoon. renee and amanda and lisa were there. i put on my dress that i had been dying for you to see. the cinderella dress. perfect.

guests started arriving. i peeked through the blinds feeling so bad that they were out in that dreadful heat. not too much longer. 6:30. 30 minutes.

we prayed with jimmy. i was remembering to breathe. especially when we had to postpone for 30 minutes!

finally, the prelude music started, and i went downstairs. there were grandparents and others waiting for their cue. random kid was using the microwave. i found my dad and grabbed his arm. why was it so hot still?

here it was. finally. months and months of planning came down to this.

7:30. there you were. once i saw you, i couldn’t take my eyes off you. once i made it down that aisle next to you, the rest is history.

aaron, i can’t believe that we have been married for a whole year. it has flown by in some ways, but yet it’s hard for me to remember life before you. i love you more today than i did yesterday or a month ago, or a year ago. you make life brighter and i love you so much. thank you for treating me like a princess and being a wise leader for our family. i can’t imagine life without you and i can’t wait to spend a hundred anniversaries with you (maybe not 100, but you get my drift.) i love you!

One year ago: the happiest day

The Greatest Game Never Played

We were just cleaning out a closet for our big move. That in and of itself was a bit of a nightmare.

It was a nightmare for Whitney because nearly everything in that closet was mine and had been shoved in there a year ago when we moved in. It was a nightmare for me because Whitney came armed with trash bags eager to fill them up. What I considered my life’s memorabilia, she considered Goodwill fodder. Oh well.

I stepped in and began rummaging through the debris. Lots of old recordings of theatre productions. CD’s I haven’t listened to in years. Even an audio cassette tape which I am insisting that Whitney put in her car (because her car is awesome and has a CD player AND a cassette player. For those lacking knowledge of what an audio cassette tape is, please see the Wikipedia article here.)

Anyway, as I was sifting through, I came upon a game I created a few years ago when Whitney and I were dating. I made it as a Valentine’s Day game to play because we would be spending the entire day together. (Whitney just told me, “It was February 13th, 2009! The day you told me you loved me!” – Yes, thank you.)

So, because we had only been dating a few months, we did not know each other very well. We had known of each other for quite a long time. We were in the same small group, but she and I rarely spent time together or talked much. I had this idea that I would make up a game that would help us get to know some things about each other that we never would think to ask or that would have come up in conversation in the four months we had been dating. (If you just did math and used your analytical English skills, you realized that I told Whitney “I love you” after dating for just four months. I’m not an advocate of doing that because those are precious words and weigh a lot. In fact, I had a personal rule that I would never tell a girl I was dating “I love you” unless I was certain I wanted to marry her. So, for me, saying that to Whitney was a BIG deal – not just a flippant remark.)

Needless to say, I was excited about my game. But the truth is, we never played it. It went with us, and stayed in the trunk. It stayed there for a few months. Then it moved into a closet. Then it moved to our apartment. And today it is getting disassembled. So, before that happens, I feel I should give it some justice and at least make record of it.

So, here it is!

The Original (and only)

The Stuff:
Catch-22 Ball
Board (a shut the box game my grandfather made)
Dice (red, yellow, green, white)
Blocks
5th Cards
40 Questions (On red, yellow, green, white index cards)
2 Blank Purple Cards
2 “DIS” Cards

To Start:
Each player gets five cards.
Paper/Rock/Scissors – winner rolls first.
Each player gets a Catch-22 Ball, Block, and 5th Card.

Play:

• The goal is to have as many questions answered as possible.  The first to get to 22 points wins.
• A player may ask a question only when his/her number (or variation thereof) is rolled and only when the number is on the die of the same color (of at least one) of the cards in his/her hand.
• On your turn, close all but one or two windows on the shut the box of any combination. ( Example: If you want 9 as your number, close all other windows except 9, OR close all other numbers except 5,4 or another combination adding up to 9)
• Pick up the dice for your cards. (You may pick up only colors matching your cards. For example, if you have no red cards, you may not pick up red dice.)
• Roll all the dice. If any 2 add up to your number, you may ask a question of one of the die color cards. If not, you may ask a question if one die is a number you closed. (For example, if you shut 14 (6,8) and roll a White3, Yellow4, and Red6, you may ask the question on the Red card.) If not, roll again with one less die. (If you cannot, your turn is over.)
• If you cannot ask a question, you must draw the next card.
• If you ask a question, the other player must answer unless he/she plays a defense.
• Player with 22 points wins.

Defense Moves:

• A player may throw a block at the other person for any question deemed “rude”, “crass” or “offensive.  The question will not be answered.
• A player may “plead the 5th” and not answer any question for any reason.  No points.
• A player may challenge a Catch-22.  The player who must answer the question will throw the 22 Ball to the player who asked.  If the player who asked the question does not catch the ball then he/she must answer the same question that was asked of the other player.  Each player gets a point.
• Purple Card Questions – Purple card questions may be asked at ANY time and may be ANY question of the player’s choosing (made up on the spot)
• The DIScard – If you have the DIScard, you can get a free point by insulting the other player and discard any question in your hand.
• “Lie To Me” –  On some cards, the person answering the question has the option to lie. The player being asked may lie in his/her answer but if caught, the player asking the question gets 2 points.  If not caught, the answering player confesses and the other player gets 0 points.

Awkward Turtle

My first gift from Aaron

This is Awkward Turtle. He has appeared in the blog before, but he was nervous to have his picture taken back then. Now, he’s come to terms with his appearance…if you can’t tell, he’s brown, purple, and orange…awkward. Also, his head won’t stand up quite right. He kind of reminds me of Eeyore.

Anyway, Awkward Turtle holds a very special place in my heart. He sleeps next to the bed most nights, and definitely sleeps with me if Aaron isn’t around.

He is my very first gift from Aaron. Ever.

Before we were even dating or thinking about dating, Aaron gave me Awkward Turtle when I had my thyroid removed back in July 2008.

Aaron says Awkward Turtle sent me subliminal messages all along saying that we would end up together.

I’m not sure if that’s true, but he definitely started swaying me in that direction. How could you not love a boy that gave you an awkward looking stuffed turtle?