D: "I hope you're mad at me"

(Yes, this is really how my husband starts an IM to me)

me: ?

D: you'll see when you get home

me: what did you do?

D: I went and did something special for you and it just got better by the second

me: well then tell me

D: nope

One thing I've learned about my husband is that he's a generous, giving guy... The giving part however comes after he's tortured me with "I got you something!", and then not telling me what it is for several hours (or sometimes, months.) Naturally, I'm not a fan of surprises for this very reason.

What could be so wonderful, so fabulous that he teases me with it's existence and hour and a half before I'm due home? Why that would be the 11 different types of Sam Adams beer he's picked up for us to try.

That's right.  My husband surprised me with beer.  Beer. (sigh)

Pride cometh...

The saying goes, "Pride cometh before the fall." There are lots of things that cause us to fall. We fall (a lot) when we first learn how to walk. We fall into our work when we want to get our minds off personal matters. Scandal causes us to fall from grace. And we fall in love.

I thought I had it all figured out... before I fell in love with D. If there's anything that life has taught me thus far, it's that you don't really know yourself until you've seen yourself through someone else's eyes (also known as, humility does wonders for your ego...) It's also taught me that in spite of what you may already know about yourself, those things can change in the blink of an eye. Change is good. Any species on the planet that hasn't evolved has died, and I think the same goes for a person's soul.

I find myself in uncharted territory as of late. Being a newlywed, I have to think in terms of "we" instead of "me", of "us" instead of "I". I have a new name, and with it comes a whole new identity. I still stumble when saying my new full name to people, and hesitate ever so slightly when referring to "my husband". I know it will take time for those ticks to work themselves out, but it's the larger implication of these words and titles that give me pause. I want to do them justice. I am half of a whole now. I am one half of a unit, a team, a newly formed family. While we're both doing our best we know that nothing and no one is perfect, and that we'll have a few laughs at our own expense along the way.

And yet, ironically...

A girlfriend of ours lovingly wrote on the card on our wedding gift, "To the perfect couple," and I like to think we strive every day to make that sentiment true (as best as we can at least.) For now, I'm content watching my husband attempt to beat my scores on the Wii Fit, and dishing out the healthy dose of teasing that goes along with that. We do have to keep each other grounded as a part of the growing process, after all.