Taking the Risk

Okay, so I did it. On Tuesday, I married my best friend, Kelly.

This is the high risk decision that I first mentioned back in November and again in January. It was a really huge step for both of us. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather share my journey with (obviously). We've been friends since college -- which was *many* years ago -- and we make awesome partners.

Gettin' Hitched
We went to the courthouse, and most of our immediate family shared the ceremony with us.

I leave it up to you to try to figure out which family members go with each of us.

Transition
This is why I moved to Washington back in June, which was a huge step in itself: I'd lived in the same apartment for 15 years and the same city for over 20. We're a bit in the wilderness (it's 30 miles to the nearest traffic signal), so that has been a transition for me. But it's really beautiful out here. I'm totally okay with trading 7-Eleven for wild blackberries.

I've taken lots of pictures since I've arrived: Living in Skagit County. (And a few when I visited in February: 1250 Miles, 2 Cats, and a Banjo.)

So, how do I know that Kelly is the right partner for me? Well, first of all, she made this chart for "Sharing Household Chores":

Next, when I saw these salt and pepper shakers at Target, she said that we had to buy them:

I don't think we need any more proof than that. (Although we do have some other things in common, too.)

Blended Family
Kelly and I have already seen some of the joys of our blended family: she had 2 dogs and I had 2 cats. Now together we have 2 dogs and 2 cats. The 6 of us are learning to get along together (sort of).

Toby & Amanda

Lulu & Mae

Lu & Toby trying to reach an agreement

Driving Home
The drive home from the courthouse was a bit tense. Each of us knew that we made the right decision, but the gravity of such a big step weighed us down a bit.

Fortunately, on the road home, we ran across a perfect example of "not my job". It was a bit unbelievable, so we had to turn around on the highway to get a picture:

The laughter was exactly what we needed.

To those of you who have been wishing me the best on my decision, Thank You.

Now the real adventure begins...