Our Wedding

On Saturday, July 13th 2002 @ 2:00pm, I had the honor and privilege to marry my long-time girlfriend/fiancee, Moriah. On the top of Rib Mt., we became man and wife.

Moriah and I began dating on February 7th, 1997. We were both in Pep Band and were playing for a basketball double-header. We had formally known each other since summer and had built a good friendship by the time the 7th hit. Sarah played matchmaker and got us together.

I started thinking about marrying Moriah just over a year or so into our relationship. I knew by that time that she was special and that she felt like "the one". One year later, I knew Moriah was the woman I wanted to marry. With the end of high school just over a year away, thoughts of marriage began.

When college hit, both of us were determined to maintain our relationship. With Moriah attending Lawrence University for flute performance, my closest viable option for school was UW Oshkosh. We saw each other on weekends, being that the drive is a mere 30 minutes. E-mail and phone cards were, and still are, our way to be close during the week. By the start of college, I knew, 100% sure, that I wanted to marry Moriah. So on January 1st, 2001, I proposed to Moriah and she accepted.

The following summer, we decided that after 4.5 years of dating, we wanted to get married. The end of college (still 3 years off) seemed too far away. And the year before the end of college was to be a bad summer because both of our younger brothers were looking at graduation and college. So the remaining option was to get married in the summer of 2002-2003. We began to plan and save. The more difficult task came in convincing our parents and grandparents that this would be a good idea. Both sets of parents were worried but Moriah and I's planning paid off and they were convinced we could handle things together. The grandparents actually took it better than either set of parents. All of them merely wanted to know if it was what we really wanted. When we answered yes, they offered their support and wisdom.

So finally, after a year and a half of planning and work, our day came. Preparation began in earnest 3 days before as Moriah's mom and Aunt Lori began working on the wedding cake. The following night, I dropped Moriah off at home to begin preparing with her family as I returned home. Friday flew by and Friday night/Saturday morning was spent pretty sleeplessly by both of us.

The ceremony started at 2:00pm. After all the bridesmaids and groomsmen had gotten into place, I raised my eyes up to the top of the path and saw my bride to be. She was beautiful. The mid-afternoon sun shone of her white Native American dress (Moriah is 1/8 Cherokee) and her fringe swayed in the breeze. Her smile shone and I couldn't help but smile back. Most people claim that their wedding flew by before they even knew it. But I tried my hardest to enjoy every moment. When the vows came, with a happy heart and tears in my eyes, I commited myself to Moriah. Then came the blanket ceremony. A Native American tradition, it involves the parents wrapping the couple in a Indian blanket as the congregation blesses the marriage with a prayer. More tears flowed out of joy at finally being one. After 45 minutes in the mid-July heat, Moriah and I emerged husband and wife.

The reception went well and by the end of the day, we were tired yet happy about how well the day had gone. Our honeymoon took us through 3 different Great Lakes. We returned to our new home a week later, still blissfully happy.

A lot of people have asked me "How's the married life?". I usually answer with something humorous. The truth is that I have never been happier in my life. Finally, after 5 & 1/2 years, I am married to the woman I find most beautiful & intelligent in the world. I feel complete. And though I know there may trouble ahead, I can look forward to the future knowing that I am hers for all time. I know there are many years of happiness ahead of us, regardless of where life takes us, because I know that no matter what, I have the thing in life that makes me happiest. The love of my life.