3 Years

3 years ago (yesterday) we got married!  Before you start judging me for tardy anniversarial blogging, we are really celebrating tomorrow.  I got some pretty roses and sweet things were said, but we (sad) didn't get to see much of each other on our actual anniversary, so we're pretending it's tomorrow.  

One of my favorite things about dating Jeff was that before he dropped the "L-bomb," and while I was waiting (somewhat impatiently) for such a declaration, I remember the first time I realized that even though I hadn't yet heard those 3 lovely words, that I felt loved.  Like, honestly loved.  It was a homey little feeling in my heart, and happy girl am I to say that that hasn't changed.  

Before pregnancy gets me going in a weepy dissertation on marriage, romantic love, the long haul, etc., I will just say that Jeff is my guy, I love him, I want to keep him forever, and since we got married 3 years ago, that's precisely what I'm going to do.  

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2 Years

Break out the bubbly, for 'twas 2 years ago that Jeff married me, and I married Jeff.

Many song lyrics come to mind today....

You mean to me what I mean to you

Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you honey,

I love you, and you alone were meant for me

Loooooove is a many splendored thing

Who ya gonna call?

You're my sunshine after the rain

Love you forever and forever, love you with all my heart

And, on completely serious note, I was running the other night sans baby which means I could listen to music. I don't really have a "work out playlist," so I usually just start it on a song that has a good beat, but if the song that comes after that doesn't, I'm in the zone by then and too lazy to change it.  A Case of You by Joni Mitchell came on, an example of a bad running rhythm, but I do love that song and enjoyed it.  I know this is cheesy, but tears filled my little eyes as she sang,

I remember that time you told me, you said,

 'Love is touching souls',

Surely you've touched mine cause,

Part of you pours out of me

in these lines from time to time

In all her silliness, Joni said something that was really true.  As powerful as "I love you" is, I love a lot of things and say it all the time.  I love Diet Coke.  I love Mitt Romney.  I love The Beatles.  I love Mary Cassatt paintings.  I love iceberg roses.  I love skinny jeans.  I love being skinny.  I love big baskets.  But Jeff is the only person who's touched my soul, in a very Bronte sort of way.  Disagreements and moments of exasperation may pepper some days, but who cares?  He's the one who's rooted down deep into my soul, he's a part of me more than anyone else ever could be, and I am so happy that I'll never, ever be without him.  

So to millions more, Jeff.  I love you in a big way.

Some things about the author of this blog:

- I might have to start running again.

- My sister Sarah told me motherhood has made me "softer". Hmmm.

- That wonderful near-year of the "Your Girth and Emotions are Great with Pregnancy and Postpartums, but Thou Shalt Not Lose a Hair From Thy Head" is over. Dumb hair falling out left and right.

- Aforementioned hair grew many inches during aforementioned hair retention period. I have only trimmed my hair since I started really dating Jeff, because I knew he liked it long. But now it's getting Wicked Witch of the Ladera Ranch long, and I'm hankering to have a skilled professional take some sharp scissors to it. What will I do? I haven't a clue. Part of me wants to go Halle Barry. Part of me wants bangs again. Part of me wants to only trim it; my mom had long hair with a middle part when she was a young mother, and it makes me feel good to parallel hairstyles with phases of life with such a lady.

We'll see. My bangs are in that awful in-between period. Blech.

- I sliced my middle and pointer fingers while chopping an onion on Friday. 20 minutes later I slammed those same fingers in the side door. ??? Jeff examined them both times and after the second injury he said something in French. It was something along the lines of "Be careful and slow down, my dear."

- Goin to the beach tomorrow! Woot wooooooooot!

Half an Annum

6 months ago today we hopped aboard the matrimonial wagon. I wouldn't get off for the wooorld.

Maybe I'm a romantic, maybe it's because I was single until 27 (which makes me neither the youngest or the oldest, but anyway), or maybe it's because I (over)hear plenty of whining about spouses, but the thrill of marriage for me has not waned a decibel; I would say it's cranking up in volume. Sure it's not perfect, but who wants perfect? If I said it was you'd all know I was a lying and/or oblivious TAMN anyway.

But from where I sit, suddenly I'm in this ongoing gig where I come home, and the person I most want to see is there too. We always have new jokes, we make plans, we buy each other's favorite edibles at the grocery store, we calm each others' frustrations and sooth each other's concerns. We carpool to work and I pat his bum as he gets out of the car (I usually drive because my car is a piece of crap and we don't care about piling on the miles). I get to be a part of his wonderful family -- I really love them. We bounce ideas off each other, we know our tones of voice, we groan in the morning about the fact that it's morning and sometimes, especially on Fridays, take a few extra minutes on the snooze bar to snuggle. It seems to me this far, far, far outweighs any sacrifice or growing pains. I KNOW I'M A NEWLYWED, but I'd like to expect that we can keep this attitude for the next millions of years.

I think one of my favorite memories thus far happened on a Thursday. Jeff had a lawyer convention thingie at night and I had a lot of work so we decided we'd still carpool and I'd get some catch-up done until the convention's end. Around 6 I decided if I were going to stay awake I'd better get me some victuals. As I mentioned before, I work just across the bridge from South Coast Plaza. I set off on foot just as the sun was setting behind the epicenter of consumerism. I was pulling my sweater tightly around and reliving some Jeffman moment, looking at the ground. I looked up and -- HEY! -- that looks like Jeff! That is Jeff, I think? A mirage? No, I'd forgotten that his lawyer convention thingie was at the Westin Hotel on my side of the bridge, and he was really a-walkin toward me in the flesh, making funny faces. I let out an honest, "Ha! What??" and jogged over, which was good, because the girl a few steps ahead of me had thought the funny faces were directed at her. Above the Bristol traffic, we snuck a hug and a kiss before he went off to his duties and I to mine. A lovely second wind.

January 23. What a day.

I have a Scrunchie you can borrow.

I said before that Jeff makes me laugh with my nose scrunched up and my mouth open wider than a hungry whale. So then on my wedding day he made me laugh a lot and this, as I scroll through the KYLIE NIXON WEDDING PICTURES THAT CAME TODAY (!), is what I keep seeing. I may look like I'm about to eat him, but really, it makes me glad for the millionth time I married him.

It was the best day of my life. Stay tuned for the pictures where I don't look like a piglet. Actually here's one now, because my computer just started loading pictures more hastily.

By Week's End,

I shall blog my wedding photos. We were a weensy bit spoiled because our photographer, Kylie Nixon, had an assistant, and then my sister Elizabeth is quite the photog, as is my father-in-law, as is his lifelong friend Richard. So we have quite a bit of high-resolution photos spilling in, and until I have the last of them, I shan't blog it.

BUT,

Hey! We've been married 3 weeks, and guess what: we're totally pro. We've got it all figured out. So we thought it was time to help others. Our book, "How to be Married and Stay as Funky Fresh as We Are" will commence printing tomorrow, and our first 50 customers will be treated to a free pamphlet on "How to Use Your 2nd Bedroom as a Dumping Ground for Knick-Knacks, Papers, Electronic Cords, and General Stuff You and Your Husband Don't Use Often or Need but Can't Let Go Of".

And also,

Yes, she's real. Sometimes it seems impossible there could be something this cute, and let alone that she could belong to me (ok she really belongs to my sister+BIL, but whatever), but I promise she is in fact a truth.

And on this, the day of love, I pay tribute (again! I just can't stop!) to another truth:

I absolutely, positively, could not have married a sweeter man, or made a better decision. I love him more than I could ever hope to say.

And a Valentine Bit in parting:

O mistress mine, where are you roaming?

O, stay and hear! your true love's coming,

That can sing both high and low:

Trip no further, pretty sweeting;

Journeys end in lovers meeting,

Every wise man's son doth know.

What is love? 'tis not hereafter;

Present mirth hath present laughter;

What's to come is still unsure:

In delay there lies no plenty;

Then come kiss me, sweet-and-twenty!

Youth's a stuff will not endure.

William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

2 Days: The Internet, it works.

Unless you've stuck a Jack Bauer tracker chip in my car, you wouldn't know where I am at this moment unless I told you. So I will, because that is quite truly the purpose of this post.

Wait a minute.

Margaret

Elizabeth

Emily

Katie

Jaymi

Jennie

Heather

Courtney

Emily S.

Sarah

Can't remember her name

Alyson

Jodi

Jenna

Erin R. F.

Alison D.

Shannon F. M.

Justice

Jenneth

Alicia

Jessica

Megan

Krisha

Kris

Sam

Sadie

Jenny

Suhaila

Erin C.

Lindsey

Christi

Jessica

Liz

Julie

Those 34 names you see above you are the names of all the people I've ever called roommates. Most of them are truly lovely human beings, and I still love them like you wouldn't believe. A few of them, meh, hmmm.

But back to the point: Where I am. I am sitting right here in an apartment which now houses alone my final and most hunky roommate, waiting for the fridge to be delivered. I'm trading the life of sharing space with another party's nail polish and Nora Efron movie collection with sharing space with electric shavers and neckties. My mind is blowing, but in the very best way.

And the internet works. Hello, new digs.

And if you come on Saturday, we will have Meri Eaton's caramels in abundance.

This is all I want to say for today.

Bits for a Sunday Ev'n

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

I've been stuffing, addressing, counting invitations all weekend loooooong.

I have a kink in my neck and writer's cramp.

I love my invitations.

They are my favorite thing.

Christmas shopping is mostly done.

3 days of work this week.

Sarah and Harry are in town and they're a hoot.

I'm so glad I'm marrying Jeff. I believe in Jeff and Meredith.

Say this word: Lugubrious

It's in a book Sarah's reading.

I have a new phone number. Merged plans with Jeff. No turning back now. To keep his discount he got in law school, I had to switch to his "network" of 650 area code, in Palo Alto. Do we live in Palo Alto? Nope! Do we have any plans to live in Palo Alto? Nope! Oh well! When I was a wee babe my family and I lived in Palo Alto, so I sort of consider it legit. And if Sarah or Harry or Aunt Susan or Uncle Bryant ever fancied a chat, they could call me from a land line with ease.

I lost all my sidebar stuff while switching around templates for this here blog. Woops.

#1 annoyance of all time: People who chew with their mouth open or eat with such a frenzy it seems they've not been fed in 3 years. Drives me crazy.

Confession: I made a new married email address before I got engaged. I had a hunch Jeff was going to be my guy. I won't say how long ago I made it, but merzyhayes@gmail.com is taken!

And a Merry Christmas week!

Christmas came early!

For more, check the snap-snap man himself, Mike Cunningham.

I love my life.

Lurve

More on this later.

But happy girl am I.

Thanksgibing.

Thanksgiving was pretty terrific. I snuggled small children to whom I shall be "Aunt Mer", I ate way too many carbs, I saw pictures of what my FH (Future Husband) looked like as a wee one,

watched a movie in a home theater that could beat up your in-law's home theater, got to know everyone, planned what we could, and let the engagement soak in. Odd things that made it feel more real somehow:

1. Facebook's method of confrontation:

That one had us laughing pretty hard. After Jeff hit "Confirm" it said, "You are now in a relationship with Meredith Eaton. You have no more relationship requests."

2. Receiving an assignment in the sibling present swap (and handing one out on the Eaton side as well). Erica and Robert and Sarah and Harry better be nice to us unless they've been craving chunks of coal to warm their Christmas hearts!

3. And eh, calling the Newport Beach LDS Temple to see if they had sealing availability on January 23rd at noon was sort of a trip, you know, kind of.


* I don't think it's possible to explain how much I love Nat King Cole's Christmas album. It says all things good to me. Growing up we'd prance around to Jonny Mathis, The Chieftans, Art Garfunkle, T. Bone Burnett, Jodi Collins, Harry Connick Jr., Mariah Carey, and many more, but there's almost nothing I'd rather listen to than Nat. The night we got engaged he sang to me the whole way home. He also sang to us while we drove to get his finger sized for his Man Bling in Salt Lake. Nat King Cole Christmas is to me what snow is to Lorelai Gilmore.

* By the way, I have grandmothers anew! My grandparents passed away a long time ago, and I have missed them. I now have 2 new grandmas. Woot woot! I didn't get to spend much time with one, but the other reminds me in looks and winning personality of Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember. Which, by the way, if you haven't seen it, after you smack yourself upside the hayd, go rent it and watch it until you know it by heart. It was really fun to call someone Grandma again; she's as sweet as can be.

Bah! Just looked at the clock!! Late late late!!!

The Engagement Post

About a month ago I was leaving work for the day and the doorman said to me as I approached, "Ah, I know that look. That's the look of a girl in love!"

Tis too true!

I have been in love with Sir Jeff Hayes, Esquire for many moons now. As of last night at approximately 8 pm the long-haul nature of our relationship became most official.

This included the most delicious dinner I've ever had, hands down, at the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach (which meant 3 YEAR OLD CHEESE from the FROMAGE PLATE OF DIVINITY,)

This also included a spell spent at the bonfire on the hotel grounds, and finally, and most importantly, down on the patio right by the shore, included those crucial words of the betrothing kind and a response in the emphatic affirmative. And the securing of this wowzer on my left ring finer (I KNOW!):

I can hardly wipe the silly grin off my face.

By the way, more pictures are coming from the camera with the missing USB cable.

It was really quite perfect, a finer adrenaline rush I've never had. And that is the truth.

Warning: The proceeding could be qualified as a Gush

I can hardly wrap my mind around my excessive good fortune in finding Jeff Hayes (thanks Erica!). He is kind, brilliant, buff, handsome, cultured, has a work ethic that shames Joan Baez, and cooks.

And, major gush, he is my best friend, cracks me up, supports me to the bitter end, and makes me want to to a hitch-kick for joy ALL THE TIME.

I can't count all the times over the last 15 months that he has shown me, in word and deed, through the big things and the small, hard times and the good, that I am one lucky girl to be his girl.

January 23, 2010 you may call me Madame Hayes. I can't wait.