From the hands of the wife...

I am happy. So incredibly content. Massively elated. Absurdly giddy. Beyond jubilant. It's funny because you don't truly know the meaning of 'happy' until you are way passed whatever you thought it was. And that, my friends, is where I find myself today.

Married life is, to say the least, amazing. I still get kicks out of referring to Rob as 'my husband' and my stomach always flutters a little when he answers his phone, "Hello, wife." Being married, for us anyhow, is so much more than saying goodnight and falling asleep in the same bed, and coming home to each other, in our house, night after night after night. It is even more than knowing that someone can see the depth of who I am and love me even more for it. It is the feeling that penetrates my very being of knowing that he is my forever. Knowing that regardless of where life takes us, of the many successes and failures we are destined to see, the ups and downs, the experiences, the challenges and every single change this life throws at us, that Rob will be my constant, always there, never-ending adventure partner.

I can handle moving away from my friends and family, because I know he will be there. I can handle financial problems, because he will be there. I can handle the emotions of a pregnancy, the frustration of a rebelling teenager, the loss of a pet, the rage of let-downs, because my lover will consistently and constantly be there. For me, for us, for life.

The problems Rob and I faced before the wedding are still here. Our conflicts and our issues haven't changed. We are still so far from perfect, yet one hundred percent in the midst of bliss. Marriage wasn't our solution; it was our promise. Our never-ending vow that we are going to be together forever; that regardless of our differences and the struggles we face through life, that we will always be there for one another.

Our marriage is more than just words we spoke, or the papers we signed; it is now a feeling embedded deep within us. People ask if it really feels different to be married, especially after dating for five years. And I tell them; heck yes it does. I don't think I can really describe it, but it is a whole different ball game.

Here goes our forever...