back in the saddle, kind of

posted by ssssssssssssssssssssssss

Physically, I am back. Mentally, I anticipate it will be another few weeks, maybe months, until I am “back.”

The wedding was wonderful – it was everything I had hoped it would be. The weather was ideal (discounting the hail, rain, and wind storm we had 3 hours before the ceremony; hell, most people told me it is actually GOOD LUCK for there to be rain on your wedding day. And, it did serve to cool everything down so that at 4:30, when it all began, the sun was shining on a gorgeous and UN-HOT day).

I am now a married woman. Not that much in my day-to-day life has changed. I kept my name; we have lived together for six years; we own a house; and I am already used to wearing one ring all the time, so what’s another one? That is not to say that when I look at S, I don't feel it. I am now officially married to the man of my dreams, my one and only, my best friend, my favorite companion in the whole universe. We made a statement in front of 130 very important and loved people in our lives, we looked into each other’s eyes and said “I am yours forever,” and there will never be anything like that in my life again. He is such a sweetheart – he wrote our entire ceremony; he researched possible readings; (coincidentally, WG posted the exact same reading S and I had decided to have my uncle read right here, on this blog, mere days before our wedding; I told her that it is entirely possible that she was typing those words into blogger at the exact moment S and I were agreeing that those were, in fact, the perfect words for our own special moment...wierd); he even choreographed the whole beautiful ceremony. We had the JOP for Eureka presiding, and he was perfect - a 3rd-generation Eurekan whose grandparents homesteaded there. Our square dance caller was straight from square-dance heaven, complete with handlebar mustache. The food, oh the food, was wonderful - line-caught Alaskan salmon and amazingly tender bbq'd pulled pork. And the cake - whoo, doggy!

The whole two weeks were action-packed - getting ready to host all those people at all the functions we had decided to have. Family, friends, kids, all running around, cooking, cleaning, clearing, laughing, gossiping, oh how I love my family. We even had a crazy-ass party crasher and her grandson at the Thursday picnic at Lake Kookanusa. The women in my family are a force to be reckoned with, a fact that was reinforced every day we spent together. Our families got on fabulously; S's dad and his stepdaughter even went horseback riding with 20 or so members of my family. And this party reminded us just how lucky we are to have such loving and talented people in our lives. S's dad painted a beautiful watercolor for us; we received 2 handmade quilts, each so gorgeous and so unique from 2 different aunts; another aunt painstakingly cross-stitched a gorgeous herb-bag set and basket (smallest cross-stitch gauge i have ever seen, that's for sure); one of S's long-time family friends hand-crocheted a green afghan; and, as the bow on a present, there was some hand-dyed sock yarn for me IN MY WEDDING COLORS (thank you, Knitting Iris). I also received 2 different and beautiful necklaces from special lil kids in my life. Then there was all the work those loved ones did to help us get ready for the big day. Cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, sisters, brothers, all the gang was there, all the time, and it was absolutely wonderful.

Knitting-wise (oh, yeah, this is a knitting blog, is it not?)? Not too much action. I did get the chance to knit with Siri on my folk's front porch, post-wedding, with many other women doing craftily-great things. There was laughter, a lot of games, some tears (there were, after all, kids there), and more food than anyone knew what to do with. I turned heels on both of my Dutch Canyon Oblique Openwork socks, but that is not as impressive as it sounds, as they are being knit with STR Mediumweight, which I knit on Addi 2s at 52 stitches around. On the ride to Montana, I also started two funky toes, with the Sock Hop yarn WG, NK, and M so kindly beat back the masses to procure for me at Black Sheep Gathering. What toes - before I frog them, I will definitely take a photo, but what it boils down to is that, due to my lack of experience with handspum, one toe is waaaaaaaaaaaay bigger than the other. Oh, and the needles I am using are waaaaay too small, so the fabric is a bit...dense The yarn is fabulous, though. Simply gorgeous. And the socks, when finished, will be spectacular.

I do have a photo of me, in my dress, with the shawl I knit for myself. Will have to track down photos of sister(s) in the shawls I knit for them.