MARRIED.

I'M MARRIED!!!

It's true. Steph and I decided to take the plunge this weekend. We've both been thinking that we don't *really* want to wait all the way until next June to make this official. We can't do a ceremony much sooner due to several people we really want to be there being wrapped up in school schedules, wanting something outdoors, general planning...June is the 1st time that works. In the meantime though it doesn't make sense for her to have a different last name, pay taxes like single people, pay for separate health insurances like single people, have to convince the bank to let us buy a house as an unmarried couple, and me to not get to have a ring on my finger, to name a few things. So why not?! It made sense to do it now, practically and in our hearts. We're both very excited about this.

The event itself...we went to the courthouse Saturday to figure out the process for getting married and learned that you can do whatever you want in Colorado. You can have your marriage solemnized by a judge, a minister, or the couple involved can do it themselves. Sounded great! So we got a hotel room in Cherry Creek for Saturday night and made a little in-town getaway out of it. Picked up a ring Saturday afternoon after my little brother's celebration of his recent marriage, then headed out to dinner with my parents to get hitched. We went to the Tambien Cantina, where Steph went with her friends last weekend, toasted with shots of Patron Anejo, then signed the papers and made it official. Stephanie made me cry; she does that. It's been a very happy time in my heart recently. I never could have predicted a year ago that I would be here right now and Stephanie gets all the credit for the wonderfulness of this year. It's been an amazing ride and this is just the beginning of the good times to come.

And...pictures:

Steph's ring
My ring
This hasn't stopped since Saturday...
Yep, it's official!

And Arlo celebrating our news from the back seat:

(The ceremony in June will be going forward as planned. That will be the big(ger) fun celebration. It will still be a fairly small event, but there will be a real event commemorating our marriage!)