It's been a month now and being a newlywed has often times been more of a normality rather than this entirely new concept. People keep asking how I'm liking married life or how it feels to be married or even if I feel like a new man. Really? The questions just keep on a comin' and they've been answered a ridiculous amount of times in this short time span and I think the next person who asks me I'll just snap. Well maybe there isn't a need to go nearly that far, but these ludicrous questions have got to cease and desist. I've basically told people that being married for me has been absolutely blissful and that everything has just become more convenient. I lived with Howard for 11 years so it wasn't hard having to adjust to living with someone else. Aside from some extensive sorting and unpacking of things, we've pretty much got our home the way we want it. I'd give it a solid 90% done. The remaining things are pictures/wall hangings here and there, some key kitchen items, and lastly the most important of all...a super-comfy chair for me in our living room so I can watch HD and experience Dolby Digital 5.1 in all its glory. We were so incredibly blessed by the outpouring of generosity from our family and friends prior to the wedding. The amount of gifts, gift cards, and money we received were wisely spent. We'll follow suit with the remaining money and gift cards.
It's only been a month, but so much has transpired since the wedding. Our honeymoon in the North Carolina mountains was absolutely breathtaking. We benefited so much from the later-than-usual Fall Foliage. There was this huge canvas of warm and gorgeous colors just in our faces. The roads we traversed in our Camry were magnificent. The bends and large sweeping turns were all greeted by falling leaves and even snow flurries. I can't remember the last time I was away from family and friends that long with no communication. Having no cell phone signal was something to adjust to, but when you have no agenda every morning you wake up, you get used to it and learn to embrace it. We couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon. The Biltmore was incredible to say the least (thank you, Steve R.) - and so was the McDonald's that was adjacent to its property. I'd never thought I'd say this, but I look forward to going back to that McDonald's. Simply because I never expected a McDonald's to have a double-sided fireplace, decorative ceiling and floor tiles, fresh flowers at every table, and a programmed baby grand piano. And to boot, the cashier seemed eager to take our order without being obnoxious or too over-friendly.
Upon returning from our honeymoon, it was time to settle in to our daily routine. We found out early on that would prove to be a difficult task as the remainder of the year was packed with things to do. We traveled to Albany and Columbus for Thanksgiving with my new in-laws and it seems we'll be doing some more travelling in the next month. Me and Amanda looked at the calendar last night for the first time together and gathered that it won't be until the latter part of January until we settle in with no weekend trips. I suppose this kind of lifestyle is built for newlyweds and for people that are younger. It must be my old age, but I feel worn out at times and can't keep up with our plans as well as I used to. Is married life suppose to age you faster? I hope not. Maybe what I'm experiencing is a lapse of some sort. The thing of it is, I have enjoyed every second of being married off to a young and vivacious wife. Her immediate and extended family and friends have been an absolute delight to get to know. They have all been so incredibly supportive and loving that it has made me realize that God's family never ends with just the people you know. He's constantly breathing new life and experiences into my life. And me being 30 now, I guess I could use some of that re-invigorating. I know, I know...30 isn't a death age or anything, but it's the age where everyone younger than you thinks you're old and everyone that has experienced turning 30 tells you it's all over now because your youth is officially over. Who in their right mind thought of this crazed and confused ideology? Well whoever did, I'm a sucker for falling for it. If I didn't have a younger wife to keep me youthful, I'd probably succumb to the mid-life crisis bunch and go out and buy me a convertible or something irrational like that.
I suppose there's some meaningful things to address in all of this rambling. Everyone and their brother and sister have pointed out the importance of my firsts with my wife since we've been married. As I touched on earlier, we spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws. That was our "first" Thanksgiving together. I went Black Friday shopping with Tonya - a wonderful mother by the way - and we had a blast!!! We stood in line at 4:50 AM at the Circuit City in Albany so that we could get our hands on an LCD TV. It was bitterly cold and there were hundreds of other hard-core shoppers ahead of us. We got the TV with no hiccups and Tonya and I both crashed heavily into slumber after we got back. That entire Thanksgiving weekend was about as great as a first Thanksgiving could be. Much quality family time through laughter and the simple sharing of life, a super scrumptious Thanksgiving meal courtesy of Granny Irene, and all that shared with Amanda by my side. And although our Christmas with family won't be as long (due to work schedules), I'll enjoy every second of being with my wife and family here on the east coast. Right now, it looks like a group of us will be heading out to California around mid-May to celebrate the Kan/Harris wedding Chinese style.
There's no escaping the love of Christ. I'm constantly surrounded by His majestic and unwavering spirit. Being in the heart of the Christmas madness, I stand in the midst of His peace and promise of hope. The birth of His Son can lose its luster by going through the motions of this special holiday year in and year out. Don't let that numb you. The exciting things of Christmas can easily fall wayside come the New Year. I'll be the first to admit that it warms my heart when the first of November hits because the decorations start surfacing in local malls and commercials start jingling in your TV. Families decorate their houses with oodles and oodles of lights and at times unecessary decorations. There's nothing wrong with that inside child anticipating the joy of the season coming. I technically enjoy the time leading up to Thanksgiving more than Christmas because I know it's a time where family is more of a focus. There are no Christmas lists to shop for or presents to open or exchange. This year was me renewing that experience I once had when mom was still alive - family. I got to sit down and eat the Thanksgiving meal with Amanda's family...now my family too. That meant so much to me. Not Granny's gravy that I absolutely still drool over in my sleep or the shopping on Black Friday. But that moment where I sat down and held hands with them and prayed to our Lord Jesus Christ and thanked Him for life in abundance and enjoyed the sweet fellowship that He created for us to enjoy. It was that very moment that will be in my memory forever. Thank you, Tony, for making me realize the importance of sharing that with Amanda.
I feel your presence ever so strong in my heart, Mom. You took your last breath on this day nine years ago. Know that I've taken you with me through every happy and sad moment since you've been gone. Even though there may be less tears as each year goes by, it doesn't mean that we don't miss you all the more. It has just taken us that long to figure out that we should be celebrating the life that you lived and how the strength you showed us when you battled the very cancer that beat you is what we needed to move on. It's not as hard as it used to be. Time seems to prove that its the ultimate healer of these kinds of things. But I refuse to let that be the sole reason why it's easier each year. I want to believe that your courage and strength was a vivid example through the life you lived. Thank you for giving me that gift. It will always remain in me - as I become a better husband and one day a father. Save one dance for me...
It's only been a month, but so much has transpired since the wedding. Our honeymoon in the North Carolina mountains was absolutely breathtaking. We benefited so much from the later-than-usual Fall Foliage. There was this huge canvas of warm and gorgeous colors just in our faces. The roads we traversed in our Camry were magnificent. The bends and large sweeping turns were all greeted by falling leaves and even snow flurries. I can't remember the last time I was away from family and friends that long with no communication. Having no cell phone signal was something to adjust to, but when you have no agenda every morning you wake up, you get used to it and learn to embrace it. We couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon. The Biltmore was incredible to say the least (thank you, Steve R.) - and so was the McDonald's that was adjacent to its property. I'd never thought I'd say this, but I look forward to going back to that McDonald's. Simply because I never expected a McDonald's to have a double-sided fireplace, decorative ceiling and floor tiles, fresh flowers at every table, and a programmed baby grand piano. And to boot, the cashier seemed eager to take our order without being obnoxious or too over-friendly.
Upon returning from our honeymoon, it was time to settle in to our daily routine. We found out early on that would prove to be a difficult task as the remainder of the year was packed with things to do. We traveled to Albany and Columbus for Thanksgiving with my new in-laws and it seems we'll be doing some more travelling in the next month. Me and Amanda looked at the calendar last night for the first time together and gathered that it won't be until the latter part of January until we settle in with no weekend trips. I suppose this kind of lifestyle is built for newlyweds and for people that are younger. It must be my old age, but I feel worn out at times and can't keep up with our plans as well as I used to. Is married life suppose to age you faster? I hope not. Maybe what I'm experiencing is a lapse of some sort. The thing of it is, I have enjoyed every second of being married off to a young and vivacious wife. Her immediate and extended family and friends have been an absolute delight to get to know. They have all been so incredibly supportive and loving that it has made me realize that God's family never ends with just the people you know. He's constantly breathing new life and experiences into my life. And me being 30 now, I guess I could use some of that re-invigorating. I know, I know...30 isn't a death age or anything, but it's the age where everyone younger than you thinks you're old and everyone that has experienced turning 30 tells you it's all over now because your youth is officially over. Who in their right mind thought of this crazed and confused ideology? Well whoever did, I'm a sucker for falling for it. If I didn't have a younger wife to keep me youthful, I'd probably succumb to the mid-life crisis bunch and go out and buy me a convertible or something irrational like that.
I suppose there's some meaningful things to address in all of this rambling. Everyone and their brother and sister have pointed out the importance of my firsts with my wife since we've been married. As I touched on earlier, we spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws. That was our "first" Thanksgiving together. I went Black Friday shopping with Tonya - a wonderful mother by the way - and we had a blast!!! We stood in line at 4:50 AM at the Circuit City in Albany so that we could get our hands on an LCD TV. It was bitterly cold and there were hundreds of other hard-core shoppers ahead of us. We got the TV with no hiccups and Tonya and I both crashed heavily into slumber after we got back. That entire Thanksgiving weekend was about as great as a first Thanksgiving could be. Much quality family time through laughter and the simple sharing of life, a super scrumptious Thanksgiving meal courtesy of Granny Irene, and all that shared with Amanda by my side. And although our Christmas with family won't be as long (due to work schedules), I'll enjoy every second of being with my wife and family here on the east coast. Right now, it looks like a group of us will be heading out to California around mid-May to celebrate the Kan/Harris wedding Chinese style.
There's no escaping the love of Christ. I'm constantly surrounded by His majestic and unwavering spirit. Being in the heart of the Christmas madness, I stand in the midst of His peace and promise of hope. The birth of His Son can lose its luster by going through the motions of this special holiday year in and year out. Don't let that numb you. The exciting things of Christmas can easily fall wayside come the New Year. I'll be the first to admit that it warms my heart when the first of November hits because the decorations start surfacing in local malls and commercials start jingling in your TV. Families decorate their houses with oodles and oodles of lights and at times unecessary decorations. There's nothing wrong with that inside child anticipating the joy of the season coming. I technically enjoy the time leading up to Thanksgiving more than Christmas because I know it's a time where family is more of a focus. There are no Christmas lists to shop for or presents to open or exchange. This year was me renewing that experience I once had when mom was still alive - family. I got to sit down and eat the Thanksgiving meal with Amanda's family...now my family too. That meant so much to me. Not Granny's gravy that I absolutely still drool over in my sleep or the shopping on Black Friday. But that moment where I sat down and held hands with them and prayed to our Lord Jesus Christ and thanked Him for life in abundance and enjoyed the sweet fellowship that He created for us to enjoy. It was that very moment that will be in my memory forever. Thank you, Tony, for making me realize the importance of sharing that with Amanda.
I feel your presence ever so strong in my heart, Mom. You took your last breath on this day nine years ago. Know that I've taken you with me through every happy and sad moment since you've been gone. Even though there may be less tears as each year goes by, it doesn't mean that we don't miss you all the more. It has just taken us that long to figure out that we should be celebrating the life that you lived and how the strength you showed us when you battled the very cancer that beat you is what we needed to move on. It's not as hard as it used to be. Time seems to prove that its the ultimate healer of these kinds of things. But I refuse to let that be the sole reason why it's easier each year. I want to believe that your courage and strength was a vivid example through the life you lived. Thank you for giving me that gift. It will always remain in me - as I become a better husband and one day a father. Save one dance for me...
~KH
Dan in Real Life (viewed on 10/27) - 9 Turkey Legs
August Rush (viewed on 11/23) - 8 1/2 Turkey Legs
2 comments:
I love the picture. And although the poll has closed I was finished with my Christmas shopping about 2 weeks ago. Chad however just went shopping today, Dec. 23rd. We got what he needed and he is happy now!
LYRPA
We didn't do too much better by finishing off the majority of our Christmas Shopping List yesterday :)
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