The Best Saturday Ever

Eight years ago today was a Saturday, and I spent the day surrounded by my family and closest friends, being pampered, enjoying a celebratory lunch, donning the most beautiful dress I'll ever own (that I hope I get to wear in heaven...if we have clothes) and posing for hundreds of pictures, all while filled with an incredible joy and anticipation. 

Then right about 6:20 in the evening I found myself alone for the first time all day, and right there in the Mulligan Room, I started to cry.  I was completely overwhelmed by the love and excitement knowing that the church was filling up with hundreds of people who had come just to see Jason and I pledge to spend the rest of our lives together.

Thankfully, Dad walked in after just a few minutes, and the mood quickly shifted to childish glee as we tried to spy through the window at the last-minute arrivals without being seen ourselves.  Then the music crescendoed and the mean church lady came and escorted us into the lobby for the most glorious walk of my entire life...

Following the ceremony, my new husband and I spent the next 5 hours dancing and laughing and dining and hugging and drinking champagne.  I had never felt more beautiful, more joyful or more absolutely certain about my life.  I just knew that no Saturday would ever live up to this one, and I spent the next few years trying to convince Jason that we should do it all over again.

Fast forward to this past Saturday evening...after a day spent at the soccer field, re-mulching the yard and visiting the library, we settled in to make panini sandwiches and play Hide the Sock Monkey and Uno Moo for game night.

At 7:30 Jason took Charlie up for his bath, and finding myself alone for the first time all day,  I finished the dishes, gathered up the dog toys and poured a glass of "affordable" wine.  Then I joined the boys upstairs for the stories, prayers and songs of Charlie's bedtime routine.  Once Charlie was tucked away, Jason took a shower and I nestled into the couch, only to cuddle up and fall asleep within about 10 minutes of him joining me and turning on the NASCAR race.

Then, rather than jetting off to Hawaii Sunday morning, we frantically shushed and distracted Charlie during church, Jason did his best to corral him while I attended a meeting for Mission Charleston 2102,  then we hustled him home for a quick nap before the Congregational Meeting that evening.

Clearly I didn't spend 20+ years of dreaming, 7 months planning and thousands of dollars on this past Saturday night, which makes it all the more amazing and beautiful to realize that I loved it so much more than that perfect night 8 years ago and nothing could convince me to trade one for the other...not even the chance to wear my fabulous dress again...