Happily

Two weeks ago, I got married. Thus begins the "happily ever after..." part of our lives. And the parts where Em has really bad breath in the mornings and I try to reconcile a 45hr workweek with newlywed bliss. Chicago's weather also seems to think I need more time with my husband, and happily offers 68 degree weather in August, providing me with the opportunity to leave the little froyo shop I work at an hour early at night. Its difficult to say what being married is like. It's like not being married, except now I wake up next to a beautful man who probably attempted multiple times the night before to steal all the blankets from me. I bathe much more than I used to, and have officially made my first casserole, pyrex pan and all. I'm not certain exactly what I thought it would "be" like to be married. In jr. high, my best friend went through a really rough time. She was struggling with depression, the usual teenage angst and hormones, and some family problems. We moved a bed from my grandma's storage locker into my room because there were so many nights she stayed with us. One summer, she stayed with us nearly the entire few months. We stayed up til 4:00am, making things out of clay, watching movies, and talking. We ate too much sugar, went grocery shopping together, and listened to music. All my best memories of my teenage years were during that time. Being married is mostly like that. We stay up too late giggling and talking about the future. We argue in the grocery store about what kind of juice is the best and rent a lot of movies. We try to figure out what superheroes we would be and we do the dishes together. It's wonderful and complicated and sometimes heartbreaking. Most wonderful of all, it's the beginning. If all goes well (and we don't die young), I have years ahead to learn how to be the best friend, best lover, and best partner for Em, and he has years to do the same for me. Happily ever after is a rigorous training school.