Hopefully a couple of journal entries will keep the bloghounds satisfied. Bug Isaiah for pictures. I’m sure he had to take some.

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

This is the first time I’ve had a chance to sit down and write in my three days of marriage. So let’s recap. The wedding went off wonderfully with only a couple of glitches by our deacon and one from our pianist. This is quite understandable considering that this was a new service to the two of them and the pianist wasn’t even Lutheran. However, the glitches hardly made a difference.

After taking pictures for two forevers, we went to our reception. It was okay. Most everyone left after about an hour. We stayed for about three hours and opened our gifts. We didn’t get very many, but that’s not a surprise.

I was very thankful for the help and gifts we received from family and church. I really appreciated Forrest and Rebekah’s support. While they gave us gifts too, their help was even more appreciated.

Forrest helped organize a bachelor party. Of course, I was a party-pooper and didn’t stay very long, but I got a pina colada out of it, so I was happy. Forrest also ended up driving us to the airport after church on Sunday.

Rebekah was an immensely invaluable and calming presence. Her support for the wedding and her tranquil spirit made the experience most enjoyable.

Forrest’s sister Holly was a very useful person to have around, and I use the word “useful” summa cum laude. She helped do the little things like sweeping the floor after the rehearsal dinner and making the corsages for the wedding.

In addition to paying for the wedding, Rachel’s parents have given us numerous wedding gifts throughout the past few weeks, including a camcorder. My parents gave us various kitchen appliances, a few other wedding gifts, and $800 for the honeymoon. Both sets of grandparents gave us money.

Aunt Pari was always there to answer any question that needed answered and to ask “what can I do to help?” Uncle Trevor helped the service run smoothly by conferring with the pianist and Deacon.

Ryan, Taneisha, and Matt M. helped get the reception stuff all put together. Ryan, Matt, Elias McConnell and Jon Amos were wonderful liturgical servers even though they had never served in these positions.

We took a limo to the reception, and that was way cool. We took a limo to the Davenport Hotel, and that was even cooler. I highly recommend limos to newlyweds.

The Davenport was beautiful. I had paid a bellhop to sprinkle rose petals on the floor, to and around the bed and around the jacuzzi (another thing I highly recommend).

We brought some tea lights and bubble bath, and we used our jacuzzi once at night and once in the morning. Rose petals in jacuzzis are very cool.

Sex: the taboo subject. Okay, so I could avoid talking about it, and give you a good laugh, or I could talk about it, openly and honestly.

My mind is still a little boggled. Our first, somewhat successful, time to have sex was the most sacrificial experience I have ever had. The two of us were both being more sacrificial than we had ever been to each other. In fact, the whole experience, I think, has transformed us into better people. Through sex, the act itself, I realized to a great degree how fundamentally selfish a person I am. I also realized how giving I could be, and I have a desire to be a more sacrificial person because of it. In my just four days of married life, I have been greatly sanctified.

Through sex, I learned that as great as sex can be, it’s not about sex itself. It’s about serving someone else. A note to the unmarried: if you want to get married because you need to have sex, it’s pointless. Sex is a lot of work. Don’t get me wrong. It’s good work, if you can get it, but it’s work nonetheless. I am not just talking about the physical act of moving your body for an hour or more. There are a ton of emotions that go into sex. It’s physically draining to love somebody so much to give yourself to him or her in that way.

Around 11 or midnight, we were really hungry, so we went to Molly’s Diner. That’s another thing about sex: it makes you really hungry, so if you’re on the budgeting page of your pre-marital workbook, keep this in mind.

In the morning, Isaiah picked us up from the Davenport (Explanation: we couldn’t park at the Davenport because the Lilac City Parade was circling it), and we drove to church, running two red lights, I might add.

I rushed in with the extra albs from Salem. When we came in, our church gave us a round of applause. I cannot stress the love I have felt from that church. They have been so supportive of us, not even knowing the ridiculousness of the stuff going on in the PCA church. They have loved us unconditionally. We were their first young couple (there are a few more now), so it’s just kinda funny to be loved so much by people so different. We’re not Democrat or Swedish; we’re not on social security or the theological left. But they have loved us so much that I cried through half of the last service.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

We arrived in St. Augustine about 3 AM on Monday morning. We stayed up until about a quarter until 5 AM, and I slept until 10:30. She slept until around 1. This is one thing I’ve been finding interesting. I wake up quite a bit before her. I expected that, but I expected it to be more like 5:30 and 7:30. I haven’t slept too well, and I think a lot of that has to do with not liking the late hours. But we’re creatures of habit, and our bad schedules are catching up to us. We woke up around 9 today, so maybe we’ll progress as the week does.

Gilmore Girls was interesting last night. I am mad at and feel sorry for Rory. I was very proud of Lorelei, and it made me have confidence in her ability to marry. I’m really glad Luke and her finally hooked up. On the one level, the last four seasons of Lorelei’s love life have been frustrating. There was Max, the great guy, whom she ditched on the day of the wedding. Then Cristopher, Rory’s dad, came back and almost married her, but then he stuck with his girlfriend after he found out she was pregnant. Next was Jason. Jason was a jerk; no one despises him, but no one really liked him very much.

Luke was pretty celibate until he married Nicole in a drunken stupor while on a cruise boat. When that happened, you just cringed, and then you hoped Luke was man enough to stick it out with her until she died in a freak gasoline fight accident. And when that relationship was over there was Luke and Lorelei, and you just sighed a big sigh of relief mixed with apprehension and this feeling that’s coming out in the form of questions: “Is this really right? Will she hurt him? Will he love her like a woman? Is this even morally right? Oh God, I don’t want them to have immoral sex, but how can it be avoided when the world thinks that way about sex?”