Three Week Anniversary

This last week there hasn't been much to celebrate, our beautiful family dog Millie had to be put to sleep due to liver failure and then Craig having to have more spinal injections it's been a pretty shit week.  Then our beautiful wedding pictures arrived in my inbox and gave us something to smile about, really smile about. 

I can't thank Gemma from 'When Jenson met Deliah'  enough. Gemma is our next door neighbour who kindly gave us a wonderful gift, donating her time, by giving us a record of our day, with her beautiful photographs.  Thank you is not a big enough word for the pictures and your generosity.   Please folks check out this stunning photographers work, I cannot recommend her work highly enough.  One of my loves in when taking pictures is candid photography, it was always my job when my sister and I used to photograph weddings.  Gemma has such a talent and her work speaks for itself.

We have been married three weeks and two days, and I couldn't be any happier if I tried.  I was worried when we decided to get married in such a rush, that we would regret not having the big wedding we had planned for next year.   

We planned to save like mad and hire a pretty little chapel and have all of our friends and family were going to fly over from the UK and we were going to have a party to end all parties. 

But you know what apart from so many friends and family missing, it couldn't have been any more perfect and if I had my time all over again I wouldn't change anything, except of course sharing it with more of our friends and family.

It was incredibly intimate and special night.  Craig's vows were absolutely beautiful and I thought in this blog I would share our vows to each other laced with pictures from our magical day.

Craig's Wedding Vows

When we first got together, I described you as the most beautiful soul I had ever met. 

They say you never really know someone until you live with them, and nearly three years later that is still just as true today as it was then.  You have a very kind and giving nature.  You give yourself to people freely and you ask for nothing in return.  You make me laugh every day, you make me smile every day, and every day I wake next to you is another day I love you just a little bit more.

Someone once said that you shouldn’t make promises while drunk, in love or running for office.  Now, I’m not drunk….yet, and I’m not running for office…yet, but I am very much in love.  

So, I could promise you to hold you, to cherish you and to look after you in sickness and in health.  I could promise you the world and I would gladly give it a million times over.  I could promise to look after you in our old age, to kiss you every morning when we wake and every night before we sleep. 

I could make all sorts of promises to you but I’m not going to.  You see, to me this is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.  I don’t need to make promises, because for me, all those things are a given.  They all come with what I have.  They come with my heart, they come with my love, they come with my soul.  All I have to give you is me, and that’s already yours.

You have been my best friend, my playmate, my confidant, and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the absolute love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible.  

You have made me a better person, you have given me new ways to view things, new things to contemplate, new things to drive me crazy – like leaving the lid off the Marmite, the empty toilet roll on the holder, and don’t even get me started on tying up the bread!   

You’ve also given me new things to get used to; like some of your little 'Englishisms' and most definitely your Katie counting!

Because of you, I laugh – a lot, I smile and I dare to dream again. You are my crazy English girl and I love you so very much. You get me into stuff that I’m not always prepared for: Lets buy a food truck, she said. Come and be a Funeral Celebrant with me, she said.  It’ll be fun!  Well, you’re right, it is fun.  Every day is fun as long as I’m with you. 

You and I have become inseparable, we spend every waking moment together and even the non-waking ones. We share everything – and now even medications!  But I never tire of it. I never find myself wanting time alone, in fact the times when we do find ourselves apart, I miss you terribly.  It’s like having a limb removed.   

We are firmly and fiercely joined.  Which makes the differences we do have, intriguing.  I learn from you every day, you inspire me every day and I love you more and more every day. You are someone who has far more faith in things than I do.  I tend to be more inspired by science. 

 

So as a man of science, I’m going to let one of the world’s greatest scientists inspire me further.  When you think of Einstein you don’t usually think of love quotes, but funnily enough it was young Albert who said; “When you trip over love, it’s easy to get up. But when you fall in love, it’s impossible to stand alone again.”  Kate, my knees have been weak ever since we came together.   

Our life is a wonderful journey, and it has taken us through highs and lows and we have more challenges to come, but there is no one I’d rather walk this path with than you, my love.  

To Charli and Rosie, I want to thank you for accepting me into your lives.  You had Mum all to yourselves for a long time and I’m sure it must have been a big change when I turned up. And while we are all still getting used to each other, and we have our moments,  I promise that I will protect you, look after you and love you as my own.  You will always be my lovely Chuckles and my little Pumpkin.  I love you both dearly.  

 
Vows are promises of a sort.  But I don’t see these vows as promises but rather as privileges: because I get to laugh with you and cry with you. I get to care for you and share with you. I get to run with you  - well shuffle - and walk with you; build a life with you and live a life with you.

I get to have you be the person I spend the rest of my life with. I get to be there for you and support you in everything you do. I don’t have to honour and cherish you – because I get to.  And that makes me the luckiest bastard in the world!

 
Please be mine Kate, Forever and Always.

Craig's vows were far more eloquent than mine and I suddenly wished I had gone first because after listening to his words I could barely speak let alone compose myself enough to say mine, which suddenly didn't seem enough.  I had cut so much from my vows as we had decided to only have a 800 word count, so instantly I wanted to pause the proceedings so I could rewrite mine!  

Kate's Vows

Firstly, what he said only more. From our first kiss I knew I had finally met my soul mate.  I thought love like ours only happened in the movies.  Yet every morning I wake up and even though I don't think it's possible I love you more.

My life has changed so much since I met you .  For a start I now put the lid back on the toothpaste, I even mostly remember to do up the marmite jar so it doesn't smash on the floor every time you pick it up.  But I need you to know I will never use those annoying little bread tags you love, I am sticking to the twist method and I will always put the milk in first when I make a cup of tea.

Seriously though, my life HAS changed.  Just when I thought I was destined to spend the rest of my life as a lonely old spinster, the absolute love of my life walked in and completely stole my heart.  We are a perfect match in every way. 

Thank you for all you do and all that you are, you are such a good man. Thank you for making me laugh everyday, till my sides ache.  Thank you for loving me on the days when I am not very lovable or the days when I find it hard to even get out of bed from pain.  You are so patient, kind and loving to me and I love you so much.

Thank you for challenging me intellectually and never laughing at me when I don't understand something, but instead patiently explaining whatever it is to me. Thank you for loving me so fiercely and protectively, I feel so protected and safe with you.

Thank you for the way you love 'our' girls and for taking them as you own.  You are a wonderful Dad to your beautiful boys and now Dad to two little girls who I know love you as much as I do.  

 
 I think you came into this thinking you had parenting down pat, but I know you have realised that having girls is a whole new ball game and you have embraced it wholeheartedly even when all three of us are being overemotional at the same time!

To Nathan and Kane thank you for letting me marry your Dad.  I promise that I will take very good care of him and love him to my final breath.  Thank you both for letting me into your lives and I look forward to the years ahead and getting to know you more.

I know both the girls are very excited about getting two big brothers today, although they may not realise yet that means you get to interview any prospective boyfriends!  Your support here today means so much to me.

Craig, my love I hope that we are blessed with many happy years together.  I don't want to waste a single second on things that don't matter or cross words.  Life is way too short to be anything other than madly in love with you for the rest of our days.  Please never stop singing to me.  Forever and always.

My original vows were at least four times as long but I cut them to keep to the bargain we had made!!! I have, since our day read Craig all the other paragraphs I cut from my vows and it was very special to get to do that for just him.

I know we are going to have such a happy life together, because every moment of the last three years has been the happiest time I have ever known in my life.  We are such a perfect match and so completely in love with one another.  We literally spend just about every minute of every day with each other and there is never a point where either of us long for time alone.  In fact quite the opposite when we are apart for some reason we miss each other terribly.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and you will join us for a party next year when I am all fixed up and ready for our first dance.  

Love

Kate x