The Day Before

So, as our marriage will be convalidated tomorrow evening, it had me thinking about the whole journey of getting married. From how Garret and I met (a long story for another day, don't want to tell everything all at once!) to how we eventually got engaged and married. One thing always sticks out in my mind....the proposal.

It started with G and I spending a week at my apartment to ourselves. We went shopping, had dinner, watched movies. To this day I joke he married me for my cooking (mainly my meat loaf.....he ate all of "his" loaf, and then all of "mine" that was left.....quite a bit of a meal!). But in reality ours was a quirky relationship, filled with trials and cuteness. Once at my apartment I had forgotten green beans and was running back out to get some. I was going to leave him there to finish a movie he was watching, but he wanted to come. He said, "I just like being seen with you." Yeah, cuteness.

But G had never heard of the concept of asking for permission from my father to marry me. It's old fashioned, I know, but I have always been very firm in that whoever proposed to me had better have asked my Daddy, and had better have dropped to one knee. A girl has to have some standards in these crazy dating days! So once I had made it clear that he couldn't propose to me without talking to my father it became comical. I knew my parents had told me I should marry him years before, so there was nothing to worry about, but boy was he a bundle of nerves! My dad had no clue, but my mom and I spent a lot of time giggling because Garret was trying to find the right moment for it. When I finally heard him ask my dad to speak with him, I had to run downstairs I was giggling so hard. And so Garret asked permission to marry me. My dad felt his forehead (insinuating maybe he had a fever and was delusional) and asked him if he was feeling ok. G responded by saying that he was feeling great, that he had loved me for a really long time. Of course my Daddy told him it was nice of him to ask, he really didn't have to, and gave his blessing.

Flash forward a couple of days, G is getting ready to move to England, and I knew that while we had discussed him proposing when I came to visit him at Christmas that he was going to do it sooner. After a dinner with both of our parents, he asked for some time with me and drove me out to a field under the open sky. It was dusk, and stars were beginning to come out. We sat in the car and I said, "Thank you for loving me so much." He said, "Thank you for finally seeing me." Yes, it was like something out of the movies, as great love tends to be. Then he asked if we could get out and dance (to no music). We did, but after a bit I turned and looked at the stars, marveling at how small they made me feel. When I turned back around Garret was on one knee and had a ring box in front of him. He gave a speech (of which all the words I cannot remember) but I answered with a definitive YES!

The next day he flew out to England. I was engaged but knew the next year would be difficult. I saw him at Christmas time that year (we had gotten engaged in August), but other than that, phone and the computer were it. I chose May 5th, because G's favorite number is # (and never get him started, he will go on about it!) and 5/5 seemed like something he could remember even when old and grey. He flew in on May 1st. My birthday was the next day. The week seemed a whirlwind. Then it was THE day. We were married, and I barely remember that at all. But I do remember something that had nothing to do with Garret.....my Daddy. Now, anyone who knows me well knows I am a Daddy's Girl. I love my maman, but Daddy has always been number 1. So as we are dancing to "I Loved Her First" my Dad looks at me and asks if I am happy. That was all he cared about that day, was whether I was happy. And of course I was deliriously happy, and my Daddy twirled me and bowed and passed me on to a man who loves me as much.