The Story Of US

On year ago today I married HOKIS, the love of my life. It was the culmination of 10 years of:
Getting to know each other
Getting to like each other
Getting to really, REALLY like each other
Coming to love one another
Coming to finally admit that we love one another
Learning that there truly is no one else in this world who we could love more
Growing apart, then growing back together
Falling in love all over again
Admitting that we never stopped loving one another
... nor could we ever.

It was an incredible night with incredible memories, surrounded by so much love and so many people who were truly  so very happy that the 10 year roller-coaster was finally over.

There are plenty of snapshots in time from that night, but they are mere shadows of the truth. None come even remotely close to capturing the memory I have of holding my bride on the dance floor that night, the sound of the joyful music as we danced into the reception with our newly joined families close behind, or the look in her eye as we stood face to face in the church and committed our lives to one another (3 times, just to make sure).

"The Story Of Us" as a blog feature is one year in the making.
The story of us is one of over eleven years. Here's to a lifetime of health, happiness, and memories!

The Story Of Us - A Year In Review

A year has come and gone and HOKIS and Your Humble Observer have a million reasons to celebrate. In the week leading up to our first anniversary, I would like to reflect upon a two-and-a-half year period that led up to this moment - from proposal to the paper anniversary.

Since we live in a social media world and our every action is constantly being monitored by...someone... I have decided to use, as a mirror, the various InstaFaceLinkTwit posts leading up to the wedding then beyond into our "Newlywed Year".

Up Curtain:

April 2, 2011

Just asked the love of my life to marry me.

                >>...oh, and she said yes, by the way.

April 30, 2011

H: I don't think any of these venues are going to be big enough for the amount of people we expect.
YHO: Honey...Buckingham Palace isn't big enough for the amount of people we expect.

June 22, 2011

Why I Love Her-
H: Oh my God, Nar. I found a picture that shows EXACTLY what I want for the wedding. I sent it to my friend and she LOVED it, and I sent it to my cousin who agreed it so totally me. So I emailed it to your mom and my mom too to see what they think, but Nar it's so beautiful!
YHO: Well, now that all the important people have seen your image of our wedding, any chance us second tier people can get a peek?

September 8, 2011

YHO: Hey, wanna get married?

September 21, 2011

I have a question: If I'm trying to add you to my Google+ and I'm trying to decide which of my circles you fit into, which do I pick? Clearly "Friend" would be an insult, but "Family" is kind of premature. I'm so confused. Any advice would help. Do I create a "Nushanadz" circle, or do I just abandon this whole endeavor and pretend Google+ doesn't exist?

December 18, 2011

YHO: What the _________ is a "cutting cost"?
H: They charge you for cutting the cake.
YHO: THEY CHARGE YOU FOR CUTTING THE CAKE? _______ that, I'll cut the damn thing myself!

February 17, 2012

I just want you to know that, in preparation for your arrival, I vacuumed the couch. Because I love you THAT much!

April 28, 2012

Khunami

June 26, 2012

I handed this to HOKIS and she said, "Oooh, lovely!"
...What is it?

September 27, 2012

H: You know, honey, lately your jokes have been a real stretch. Like it takes some explanation to get them.
YHO: Ya, well, I'm married now. I don't have to try anymore.

December 31, 2012  

My wife just counted down to 11:30... I don't think she gets it. 

January 5

Some put their fathers-in-law on a pedestal.
I put mine on the refrigerator.
#LaddersAreTooEasy #WhyWouldntYouSitOnTheFridge #ItsNotColdEnoughInNYC #ArekAsKakuhChashkhadeer #HouseholdChores

  

June 6

N: Ashkharkun dzov, toon mechu nav
H: Who said that?
N: Sayat Nova
H: YES! He totally gets me.

Fin

The Story Of Us - The Pizza Theory

A fun little Italy*-inspired photo version of The Story Of Us.

Newlyweds encounter a lot of peri-nuptial counsel, both solicited and otherwise, from all the veterans out there of the marriage game.

Some of these words of wisdom are instructive, dripping with wisdom that comes with age and experience.

Some are... well... less than savory.

While most of these pearls are common and easily understandable (i.e. never go to bed angry) here's what I've come to understand in 252 days in marriage:

As important as it may be to share values, goals, and, above all else, RESPECT, you need someone who complements you, a la "The Olive Theory"**. For Your Humble Observer and HOKIS, it's all about "The Pizza Theory"

YHO - Straight lines, ordered slicing, symmetric wedges

HOKIS - Odd angles, irregular slicing, asymmetric wedges

8 months and 10 days in - I can't imagine anyone else in this world with whom I'd rather share a slice of Sorrentine pizza

*More on Italy to come
**THE OLIVE THEORY

The Story Of Us - Three Little Words

"I love you."

Less than 6 months had passed since the dawn of our new relationship. It was Christmas time. There was excitement in the air. We had made it through the first months of our budding relationship. HOKIS and I had managed to make things work despite being worlds apart, she being a college freshman at UC Big City and me, an up-and-coming junior at UC Agriculture.

I knew these words could send her running for the hills. So young and in such a young relationship. Maybe she should have run for the hills. What's more telling is that she didn't. She looked me right in the eye and said the words back. You would think I would have run for the hills. I didn't.

"I love you"

Less than 6 months into the re-kindling of an old romance. The re-birth of an old friendship. The reincarnation of something that never truly died. She was preparing to leave after visiting me in NYC. The first time since that fateful turn of the year when all of the above "RE-'s" occurred. She had just started walking toward security at the airport. Outwardly, I was playing it cool. In my mind I was screaming, "STOP! TURN AROUND! DON'T GO!"
She stopped. She turned around. She didn't leave... at least not yet. She came right back up to me and laid those three words on me - words unspoken for over 3 years, yet familiar, known, understood. I looked her right in the eye and said the words back. She could have just flown away. She didn't.

"I love you"

Somewhere, from a speaker came the voice of Ol' Blue Eyes. He was saying something about a day when he felt awfully low. That day, I never felt higher. As I sang the words to her, we swayed back and forth. There may have been 450 people there... I wouldn't have known. We were running for the hills. We were flying.

The Story Of Us - The Wedding

World Series Game 7, Bottom of the 9th, Down by 3, Bases loaded, 2 outs, Full Count, and you're up to bat... every little boy's dream. Slightly incongruous with the cliche of the "every little girls dream": My Big Fat Fairy-Tale Wedding

The dream disparity: When you're 9 years old it doesn't really matter. When you're 19 it's expected.
When you're 29 the world is completely different (though you still haven't given up the dream of hitting the home run in the above scenario...it could happen!)

You see, the average boy-teen-man never developed an image of the dream wedding. I don't think that it's particularly necessary that they do. What I do know is that when that day comes and she turns the corner to take a peak at the final product of all those months of hard work, you dream that her reaction is for her to gasp, "Oh my God, it's like a fairy-tale!"

There is no doubt in that moment when she's gushing over her dream wedding, in that moment when you're staring into each other's eyes as you dance to Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight", in that moment when the church doors open and she's standing there, those are the moments that - if it's right, if she's the one - then her dream wedding becomes his dream wedding too.

For HOKIS and me, that day came September 8, 2012. I don't know a whole lot about lighting, decor, runners, chargers, or any such things. I do know one thing, our wedding ensured that for the rest of my life, HOKIS will not just be my wife - she will always be my bride. She will always be the one that took my breath away when the church doors opened. She will always be my dance partner for "The Way You Look Tonight". She will always be the one who's eyes sparkled as she beheld the fairy-tale wedding before her. We had our dream wedding.

The Story Of Us - One Month

What I've learned in 1 month of marriage:

1. This is what will come off your new bride's head after your wedding















2. You will quickly develop a 5 point "Quality Assurance Checklist" for fine china

3.Turning "I", "Me", and "Mine" into "We", "Us", and "Our" is not as simple as you think

4. It still makes me smile when HOKIS says, "My husband..."

5. It still makes me smile when I say, "My wife..."

6. Couch shopping is actually kind of fun

7. Even though you've lived apart for the great majority of your relationship, when she's away for 3 days it feels like an eternity

8. I have SOOOO much more to learn about marriage.

The Story Of Us - The Rocky Shores Of Cambria

None of the readership will be shocked by the revelation that the previous year and a half was one of great significance for Your Humble Observer. My life has been enriched by many opportunities, encounters, and relationships. However, none have been greater, more meaningful, or more beautiful than the one with a certain young lady, henceforth referred to as HOKIS, who I am also now proud to refer to as my wife, and my partner in life. It may be cliche, but I've known, almost from the very beginning of our relationship, that HOKIS would be the one I would want to share every moment, experience, tragedy, and joy with for the rest of my life. And for that very reason, after months of preparation, on April 2, 2011 I proposed to HOKIS on the rocky shores of Cambria, CA. The story is as follows:

The key to every great proposal is careful planning and meticulous attention to detail. Fortunately I had neither of those elements in my favor. I figured that if she and I had made it this far down our journey the universe would allow everything to fall into place. What I had was a ring and the desire to express to the love of my life that I wanted to spend every moment with her. After a delightful breakfast we ventured out for a walk along the northern California coast. She thought I was quiet because I was finally decompressing from a difficult work schedule. Truthfully, I was distracted trying to find the perfect spot to propose. After a mile or so of walking we came upon a staircase leading down to the rocky coast below. As we stood there quietly enjoying the crashing waves, I reached into my coat pocket and produced the ring. The rest, as they say, is... well, a blur! But all I know is that at the end, we were engaged.