OOPSIE DOOPSIE

In the words of George Banks …

Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do.

Marriage commence.

Hmmm …

And here I sit, five years later still trying to figure out this whole “marriage” situation, but there is one thing that I know for damn sure – marriage definitely threw a wrench in my plans.

Before we go too far, I’ll give you a quick synopsis of Ann’s Life pre-marriage. I was the product of two very strong, independent parents that believed anything was possible if you put your mind to it. With passion and hard-work, dreams can become a reality. My motto growing up was, “I’ll do it myself,” which oddly enough is a familiar phrase that passes through the lips of my three year old daughter. I’m not sure if I’m blessed or nervous by this similarity. Anyway, I digress. I was encouraged to go for what I believed/wanted/needed in life … even if sometimes my parents didn’t agree. They trusted and fostered my empowered independence. For that, I’ll always be eternally grateful. {I pray to be as strong as them. Eeesh!}

Enter stage left: this handsome red-headed fella that will later be called “husband.” Love hit me like a ton of bricks.

As we cruised through those early dating stages, we just knew we were a forever pair. It’s wild to think about, but I believe there truly is a time when you are with someone and something just clicks, and you finally realize what everyone was talking about when they said you’ll know when you find “the one.”

And that’s when it happened. I was 50% of a new team that voluntarily picked to span the length of a lifetime together. We would go through everything together: the good, the bad, the ugly. Everything. Together. Side by side. No matter what happened in life, I would have this partner, my teammate to walk with me.

As time marched on, I noticed the partnership evolve. We started to settle into his and her roles. Some may call the roles traditional, perhaps somewhat stereotypical in nature, but adaptable. Evolving. I don’t view these roles as dated or something that should be marked as right or wrong. We definitely don’t follow a check-list. We don’t really “follow” anything. If you know us, we’re just ridiculous. We’re … us. Not to be strictly defined by the summation of our parts.

His love hit me again like a ton of bricks during a recent work trip.

He was out of town. And the light above the stove died. Something so extremely small. I could have easily changed it myself. After all, I am still that same girl who routinely muttered “I’ll do it myself!” She’s still here. I still say those four words. {sorry, but I’m not sorry, bubbs} But he did this now. He would always catch this light right when it went out, making that speedy trip to the hardware store for the specialty bulb that they somehow only make for above-the-stove lights and swap out the bad for the good. And in that moment, I started thinking of when I swapped the “I’ll do it myself” for the support of my husband.

My fierce independence and personal determination is still very much alive and present. Ask … anybody. Ha. However, I travel the ebb and flow of life with my teammate. And whether it’s a life-changing event or something as small as changing a light bulb, I have the privilege of letting go for just a moment and leaning on him. I must remember that I’m not required to always do everything on my own. Hint: marriage.

That guy certainly threw a wrench in my wildly fierce and empowered lifestyle … but I’m thankful that he accepts me for me and that we will continue to grit our teeth and be faithfully patient as we build a stronger team.

Here’s to marriage surprising us all!