July 25, 2008

Single Me.

I never regret getting married. Though marriage has its ups and downs, at the end of the day, I realize I'm incredibly blessed.
I mean, how many people end up with a man as attractive as the one I'm married to?
It's not all about looks. He's strong, too.

Getting married changes a person. Some might argue against that, but they'd be wrong.
If you don't change some how, frankly, your marriage may be in trouble. It's all about becoming one with the person you've married, and after many years of living the life of a separate person, sometimes the fusion can be difficult. Rather, the fusion is always difficult. I've heard it said that your spouse acts as a mirror: with them, you see your selfishness and sin under new light. Sometimes you actually thought you weren't that bad. But yes, yes you were. Yes I am.
I'd known Daniel for several years prior to wedding (can I use that as the verb here? Is that legal?) the man, so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what things were going to be like. I even knew about his little dirty-socks-on-every-flat-surface-in-the-house problem (he blames the dogs). I was prepared (I thought). But no amount of prior experience can really prepare you for the up close and personal living situation you enter into upon marrying a person. You will be surprised by something along the way. And while you might be thinking the biggest surprise will be some crazy weird habit your spouse has--like touching the upper left-hand corner of the bedroom door no less than 31 times before going to sleep, or rubbing an old pair of boxers on their upper lip when they get nervous--you'd be wrong. I was. The things that surprised me the most were my own selfish habits, and how difficult is was for me to adjust to having the constant company of the one I love almost as much as my precious routines.
I don't know how I got off on this tangent. Let's start over.
I've never been too awfully fashionable. I enjoy looking at styles old and new, but I wouldn't say I have a very consistent style going on in my closet. A few months ago around my birthday Zach's girlfriend Lynsey said to me:
"I thought about buying you some cute sweats from Victoria's Secret, but then I realized: Karen wouldn't be caught dead in sweats! She's too dressy for that!"
Dressy? Me?
So I've been keeping an eye on myself, just to see whether I am dressy like Lynsey says or...not. And I'll tell you: I dress up for work...but it doesn't stop there. I rarely ever wear t-shirts or sweats (but I love jeans and that will never, ever change. I live in Texas).
When did this happen?
I started to think back...and then it hit me. I got married. And I remember thinking to myself as I went through my clothes, moving into my new apartment with my new husband, I am not going to be one of those girls who gets married and turns frumpy. No way, Jose.
I never specifically grabbed a pair of sweats I owned and said, NEVER EVER. I just don't wear them.
---
Daniel's job has taken him out of town a bit lately, and this week I've been living life as a single woman. I eat dinner by myself, I pack boxes, I work out, and then I go to bed with my two dogs. And something else has happened: I live in sweats, t-shirts, and ponytails. *gasp!*
What's funny is I had to pack a bag for this weekend, when I'll be reunited with my husband. And as I was thinking about this sweatpants phenomenon in my life, I realized that I didn't pack one pair of sweats or a t-shirt for this weekend, and I took a shower and fixed my hair this morning.

So Daniel, if you're reading this, know that I work hard to keep the frump away.
And thanks for marrying me, because if you didn't I'd be a single girl who wears jammies everywhere.

4 comments:

  1. Oh no. That single girl who wears comfy clothes.

    OHHH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  2. After 13 years of marriage, I finally started wearing pajamas (the cute kind) rather than old t-shirts to sleep in. It took me about five years to get rid of frumpy in other categories. So you're ahead of the curve. And jeans are awesome!-- Kari

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  3. It was indeed laced with sarcasm:)

    Haha.

    And how in the world would I be over you!

    ReplyDelete