But did she eat the rampant elephant?

In honor of our anniversary, this is the story of the day we married.

We did not marry because I was pregnant. Rather, the pregnancy created an excuse for a immediate marriage. We already knew we would spend our lives together, weaving our two families into a rich and complex tapestry. Because of the immediacy of the wedding (and a severe lack of funds), we decided to forego the lavish large wedding for a simple, intimate courthouse ceremony with just our children and ourselves in attendance.

We were married on my Grandmother's birthday, July 25, three years ago in a courthouse in the state to the south of us right over the border. I packed my overlarge three month pregnant body (I did not know it was twins at that time) into the romantic rose colored, flowy maternity dress I lovingly picked out for this occasion, finagled my hair into an updo and decorated it with Baby's Breath. I stuffed my already somewhat swollen feet into some cute heels (bad idea!) and supervised the "Getting Ready" of the three preteens and the little whirling dervish Eighty-Eight Fingers. Teeth brushed, new Dress Clothes (mostly khaki shorts and collared tees) donned, hair if not combed, then at least smoothed into some semblance of flatness (them, not me--my updo added at least three inches to my hight, which, coupled with my heels made me look the Amazon, for sure!), we all awaited the arrival of the (not officially) Hubz (he had to teach summer school that morning). As soon as he arrived, we crammed all the children into the Ark, descended the power windows because the Ark has no AC, and sped down the highway to our glorious future together, the wind pulling and yanking and wreaking havoc on my painstakingly arranged updo. Of course it was hotter than blazes that day, the hottest day of the summer so far. And I was pregnant, windblown, and a little uncomfortable during that trip. But none of that mattered when we finally arrived in the Wedding Town. I perched on the edge of my seat eagerly searching for the street the courthouse was on. I think we only drove past the street once. Then we circled the courthouse itself probably three times to find the best place to park. We found a spot outside that would require a good two blocks walk to get to the entrance. Two blocks walk. Pregnant (with twins). In heels. In the heat. By the time we got to the entrance, I was ready for a LONG nap and for a leg amputation. So of course I was a little testy with the security people when they confiscated my small perfume bottle from my purse, because, obviously, I was smuggling it in to spray some biological weapon into the face of the judge that married us. Oh, and they scanned EEF's stroller twice--they had his number as a potential terrorist, even though he was only eighteen months old!

After those ordeals, driving and security, our small wedding road trip was the best day ever. We managed to navigate the procedure to register and acquire a judge and room rather quickly. That Friday evening the courthouse halls were filled with brightly dressed brides and large happy families ready to join in matrimonial bliss. The judge was really a cool guy, even if I can't now remember his name, and the bailiff took pictures with our digital camera during the ceremony after a brief instructional lesson. The Big Kids all flashed many pictures with their own cameras, and the judge and bailiff struck poses for them. With all the flashes and shutter clicks, I felt a true Hollywood princess. Okay, not really. But you get the idea. I felt so real, so whole , so absolutely alive after the ceremony! I had married my dream guy. My life, aching legs and all, was perfect.

After the ceremony, we found the records room where Hubz completed the transaction for our licenses, the Big Kids snapped ridiculous pictures of the chandelier and each other's nostrils, and I sat and rested my poor aching legs. Those heels were killing me, what the...??? Then we piled everyone back in the Ark and drove the few miles to the closest Rainforest Cafe to celebrate our union. We all ordered fruity exotic virgin drinks and I inhaled all the food in the entire restaurant. The waitresses finally just brought me a trough. For dinner and for dessert. The rain storm and elephants coming alive right behind EEF's head terrified him. We all laughed. Then we all drove home in a hot car with full bellies and full hearts.

And that was it. One of the best days of my life, despite some minor physical discomforts.

I see the day we were married as a metaphor for our life together. Some small inconveniences and minor discomforts but overall, the Big Picture, is perfect. The small imperfections add to the richness and fullness of the whole. I wouldn't trade my life for all the winning lottery tickets in the world.