it ain't over!

we're married, bitches!!

yep, that's right. and i've got so much to share from the wedding. but first, due to popular demand, i want to post the vows we exchanged. enjoy!

my vows....

Marco,

On this day, I think of all the reasons

I am honored to become your wife:

In you I’ve found more than I could have ever hoped,

more than I dreamed a man could be.

In your arms, I am happy and safe.

You’re my hero, my protector, my love.

We are alike and different in many ways.

Our similarities bond us together,

and our differences are complements that make us stronger.

There is nothing we cannot do when we stand together.

No matter what,

you love me for who I am, 

and free me to sing my own song.

I am so grateful for that.

The many things that you do to make me happy

touch me more than you know.

You see and know me through and through,

and always make me feel beautiful.

I love you; I respect you; I trust you;

We’ve had many great memories together,

and as we start a new chapter in the story of our lives,

I know that we still have so much ahead:

a lifetime of love, more milestones, and more wonderful memories.

Continue to be no one else but yourself.

You are my partner, my friend, my love, my life.

Now and always, I promise to be faithful and supportive 

and to make your love and happiness my priority.

I promise to be honest and communicate fully and fearlessly.

I promise to have the patience that love demands. 

No matter what changes we go through,

we will grow together.

I will always be with you.

his vows...

Aniyia,

I love you. When I found you, I found the part of me that I didn't know

was missing. You are my light when it's dark. When it's cold, you make

me warm. You make me happier than I knew I could be.

There are so many reasons I fell in love with you. Your joy is

contagious, and affects everyone around you. 

You have so much heart that there's room for everyone. 

But you keep a special place for me. You help

me see the best in this world and in myself. When I'm with you, I want

to be the best man I can be, so that I deserve someone as beautiful as

you by my side.

It's hard to explain the things you do for me. I feel I've found my best

friend, and I want to share everything with you. You keep me out of

trouble. You take care of me. You push me when I need to go forward, and

you pull me when I'm afraid I'll slide back. When we're together, we can

accomplish anything.

These years with you have been the happiest of my life. And when I look

ahead, I see even greater things. I see love and laughter and family.

But no matter where the road leads, I know I want you to be there with

me. I know wherever we are, it will feel like home. I take all of you as

you are. And I give you all of me.

Now and always, I promise to be faithful and supportive  and to make

your love and happiness my priority. I promise to be honest and

communicate fully and fearlessly. I promise to have the patience that

love demands. No matter what changes we go through, we will grow

together. I will always be with you.

making it "officiant".

tick another day off the calendar! only 352 more to go.

no, i didn't count it. it's just that every time i log in on the knot, i see this countdown calendar blaring at me. it has no real effect on me now while it's almost a year out from the wedding, but something tells me i'm going to log in one day in early september next year and have a panic attack.

anywho, we now have someone to administer our vows. hence my lame and punny title to this post. and i'm not sure how this reads, but i'm actually really excited about this. exclamation point!

so i don't want to offend anyone reading, but polotek and i are more secular-minded in the way that we lead our lives. to those who know me, i'm sure that my beliefs can seem somewhat agnostic, but i am actually roman catholic (polotek is baptist), and i'm not sure if many of my friends know that. i'd say we're pretty casual christians.

therefore, the fact of the matter is that my church-going in the years since school has pretty much been for going to funerals. and messiah sing-a-longs. gotta love handel.

does that make me a bad person? man, this conversation is getting heavy. so long story short, the reverend who will administer our vows has a special connection to me. he is the reverend of a church in the small town of haymarket, va (the real virginia, for those reading in the dc area), which is the family church of my stepmother. i first heard him speak at my nana's memorial service, and was so extraordinarily touched by him. i had the privilege of hearing him speak two more times since then. and each time i felt that the things he said weren't "preachy", but poetic. beautiful. poignant.

i remembered afterward making the joke that "if i went to church, i'd go to THAT church to hear him speak." ha.

so you get the point. i think he is perfect for our wedding. now i really can't wait for showtime!