I’m not sure I ever thought I’d get married. I always hoped I would, but deep down in the darkest recesses of my mind there was always a lingering thought of “What if I NEVER find Mr. Right?” I prayed for years that if God wanted me single, that I could be content with that. In fact, that was the toughest prayer to pray – even the “Lord, wherever you lead me, I’ll go” missionary prayer was easier than the “If you want me to be single, then I’ll be single”prayer. And yet I finally got there, and prayed it, and most days I meant it.
But thankfully God knew I’d find Mr. Right. It just took me 30 years, three apartments, one rent house, my current home, and 13 roommates to seal the deal. In the meantime, I got pretty good at taking care of myself. Good at figuring out how to hang pictures, lift heavy boxes, and repair things with duct tape (you can fix ANYTHING with duct tape).
And then one day I woke up and I found myself living with a HUSBAND. (gasp). Let me tell you, it’s glorious. And funny. And a little weird. But mostly glorious. Here are some of my favorite “Aha!” moments of our first month as newlyweds.
1. Before Mr. Right, I slept on a bed frame that was held together by duct tape. For SEVEN YEARS. Back in 2004 I didn’t know how to put it together, so instead I figured I’d just wrap it in a pound of duct tape and pray that my mattress never came crashing down. And it didn’t, even through three moves. But now I have a handy husband who not only correctly put together our bed frame, but drilled it into our headboard. Watching him with his power drill was SO hot.
2. There is a work bench. In my garage. With tools on it. Before Mr. Right moved in, all of the tools I owned could fit into a tiny clear plastic Target bin, slightly larger than a bread box. I’m pretty sure Mr. Right just threw all of that out. I’m also pretty sure he’ll never use my high heel as a hammer… which I did too many times to count.
3. I wash boy clothes. Mr. Right found me gigglin in the laundry room one night, saying “I’m folding MEN’S underwear!” Who would have ever thought! Silly thing is, I’m secretly so grateful to have the chance to do that for him. There were many lonely nights where I would have given my right arm for the chance to fold a man’s clothes if it meant having one to love me. Mr. Right told me that folding his underoos isn’t necessary, but I can’t bear the thought of stuffing a jumbled mess into his drawers. And so I fold his laundry and thank the good Lord for bringing him to me.
4. Someone else brings my trash cans in from the curb. This is something I’ve hated doing all my life, and every time I come home to find my trash cans neatly back in their place inside our garage, I get a bit sentimental. I think Mr. Right is just relieved that I’m so easily pleased.
5. There is a man in my bed! For a girl who has slept alone for 30 years, this has taken some getting used to. I haven’t had a solid night’s sleep in over a month, but every time I wake up to the sensation that someone is lying next to me, I am so thankful that he’s there. And he knows I’m there, because my icy cold feet keep kicking him in my sleep. Sorry about that.
6. He brings me coffee in the morning. Before Mr. Right came along, one of my favorite things was the rare occasion where I would remember to set the coffee pot up the night before and the automatic timer would brew my coffee and have it ready when I woke up. Now my automatic brewer is this cute brown-eyed thing who brings it in every morning as I shake off my sleepiness. It’s my favorite thing. He also cooks me breakfast.
7. Before Mr. Right came, I used to hang pictures with thumb tacks and duct tape. Now we use wall anchors and a drill. We were lying in bed one night, and I bragged to him that I had hung the very large, very heavy piece of artwork that was hanging over our headboard. And then I saw a look of panic rush over his face as he very quietly asked me… “What did you hang that with?” Don’t worry… I used a LOT of tacks. You can never be too safe! (Just kidding, I used wall anchors. But I’m not good at measuring so there may or may not be about a dozen mistake-holes behind that gorgeous piece of artwork, which we can NEVER TAKE DOWN.)
8. He asked me why I don’t have any towel hooks in my bathroom. I told him it’s because I don’t know how to install them. The same reason every Christmas decoration I own was in my garage – because I can’t lift the boxes into my attic. I have spent my whole life trying to figure out how to create a life that doesn’t require much help, and all of a sudden I have a helper living with me. I still can’t believe it. I am so, so thankful.
So married life is a bit weird (there is a 5-pound bag of protein in my pantry and men’s razors on my shopping list), but it’s also the most fun thing I’ve ever experienced. I think I could get used to this.
PS–Photo above is courtesy of McGowan Images. Check ’em out! (Our entire wedding gallery is posted there.)
What a great post! I can still vividly remember how weird (in a good way) it was when Brian and I first got married and I found myself living with a BOY! And I hear you on the laundry thing…after seven years of marriage, I still like folding Brian's socks.
Good to hear! I'm loving your posts about your kiddos!
seriously…the duct tape bed made me laugh out loud!!! Loved this post! It also makes me sigh, because I thought my hubby was so completely weird for using duct tape for everything, now i know he is not the only odd bird! ๐ I love your post though, GOD IS SO GOOD!
Ah! I giggled out loud as I read this because I can relate to this entire post. And I’m fairly certain I read this when you originally posted it, just takes on a whole new meaning now ๐ You’re SO right. God is so, so good.