The Look of Love

We have officially been married for 3 weeks and one day. It seems like it happened years ago, which I know sounds odd - but I feel like I've been with Chris forever. I can't remember not being with him. Our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife was wonderful - we had delicious food (thanks mom!), wonderful company and a lot to be thankful for. We are truly blessed. We were sad that we couldn't get to Florence to be with the Hughes' - but look forward to seeing them at Christmas.

We also celebrated the marriage of Jenn and Neal yesterday, 11/28/09. Jenn has been my best friend for close to 10 years and was the maid of honor at our wedding. I was so excited to return the favor. We had a GREAT time! Jenn and Neal chose a song by Brad Pasley called "Then" (well, I think it's called "Then" - not much of a country fan) - during the song, I looked up and saw Chris looking right at me - and started to cry. I had held it together pretty much the whole day but lost it - it was such a wonderful moment, looking out in a crowded room and seeing his smiling face. Marriage is difficult but I strive to hold on to many memories such as these - they will help me through the hard times I'm sure. I've been to many weddings but this was my first as a wife myself. I know it sounds silly, but it made me remember why I love and married Chris 3 weeks ago - I look forward to many more weddings in our future!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Harris!!!!! You are a beautiful couple and we wish for you only the very best! *Even if you ARE UT fans!!!!*

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Well, we did it - a week early too! We put up our very first Christmas tree!!!!!!!! We had a lot of fun picking everything out - and had an interesting time at K Mart (side note - they had Martha Stewart trees on sale for one day but did not have them in stock yet! Don't waste your time!!!!) We really put a lot of thought into the decorations we wanted to use - we decided on deep purple, gold, and silver for our big ornaments (plain balls of color). We then picked out our first Christmas ornament from Things Remembered - as well as a few others. Growing up, my family always bought one ornament a year and added it to the tree - I think we're going to carry on that tradition. We did pick a few this year because there were so many to chose from - an Office ornament, a cute pig (for no other reason than it was cute!), a cheetah print shoe, and a cute martini glass with two olives that says "Olive You"! Get it??!!!
I am firmly set on purchasing a holiday pig for our front yard - it boasts twinkling, clear lights and a Santa hat. I think it's a must. I am also trying to convince Chris that we need the light up Santa flamingo - but it's a no go as of now. He wants to see what our neighbors do - I say we throw caution to the wind (as well as our association rules!) and buy the pig! It could be worse - I could have asked for the Christmas hippo.

Can you live without your gall bladder?

Today Chris and I are headed to Clarksville Imagining so that I can have a CT scan. There may be something up with my gall bladder. I have had this nauseated feeling for at least two weeks which is apparently a sign that something's up. When I went in yesterday, the Doc said that it could be my gall bladder and if it was, it was going to have to come out. Truth time: I have no clue what a gall bladder even is. I think I though pancreas at first and freaked out - I KNOW that your pancreas is important! I had to make sure one can live without your gall bladder before consenting to have mine removed. This seems like the logical first step.

I hope all goes well today. I almost hope it IS my gall bladder - if it's not, that means I'll need more tests, which isn't fun at all.

Trey turns 26 today - wow!!!!!!! I'm lucky to have a such a great brother!

***UPDATE: on 11/30/2009 - I received notification that my gall bladder is doing just fine - so I guess it'll stick around for a while longer. I'm still not feeling 100%, but am planning on returning to the doc for some more tests. Prayers are certainly appreciated at this time***

Date Night!

I am taking Blaire to dinner at Logan's Steakhouse (that is where I met her for the first time), and then we'll go to see a movie.

I'm really looking forward to tonight, because Blaire and I haven't been on a date in a while.

We're constantly being told by people that ours was the BEST wedding and reception that they had ever had the pleasure of being a part of, and, speaking for myself, I agree 150%! As absolutely wonderful as the wedding was, I am glad that It's finally done, and now Blaire and I can focus on each other and our life together. Of course, I wouldn't mind reliving the reception a few more times. :-)

I've caught myself wondering what life has in store for the Hughes family, but I'm confident that as long as we work together and approach each issue with love and teamwork, we can't help but win. The two things I expect in this life is to beat MS (and get full use of my legs again) and to grow old with this woman.

~Chris~

Decking our halls

This Christmas will be the first that Chris and I spend as husband and wife. It's so exciting! But I have to admit a bit daunting as well. I want our home to look welcoming and Christmas-y, but there are so many choices!!!!!!! Do we do metallics? Or stick to red and green? Should we use snowmen? Reindeer? Santa? What should are stockings look like? How tall should our tree be? How should we decorate our mantle??????? There are so many options! Our living room has a definite gold undertone so I think we are going to lean towards some metallic colors. I was also considering a whimsical feel - although that's easier said than done as well. Who knew being a married adult would come with so much decorative pressure!!! I think we're going to go look for a Christmas tree this weekend - which is another sticking point. We want a beautiful tree but don't want to break the bank!!!! I think we'll start at K-mart. It needs to be pre-lit - that will help a lot. Of course, the question of where we store it comes to mind as well........but we'll worry about that sometime in January.

In the beginning......

When I (Blaire) decided to begin this blog, I thought, "hmmmmm....where should I start?" I feel there is oh so much to tell about Chris and I. I guess the best way to begin is at the beginning!

Chris and I met in the Summer of 2008. Immediately upon meeting him, I just knew he was it. Anyone who has been around Chris for more than 2 minutes knows that he is just the best. Pretty soon, we began dating. Our second date was at my brother's wedding (no joke!) I look back at that now and think, "What in the world was I thinking???? And why didn't Chris run away, screaming, when I asked him?????" That was certainly his trial by fire. He met pretty much everyone in my family, both extended and nuclear. They all loved him - more than me, I think. In December of 2008, we were engaged - well, it was a pre-engagement, as Chris calls it. In January of 2009, we were for real engaged! We were married November 7, 2009 in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by our most beloved friends and family.

Chris was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 14 years ago - and has lived beautifully ever since. His strength is astounding and continues to amaze me each day. I know that there are times when it hurts him emotionally to be different - but I love it. It has made him the wonderful person he is today. It is something that we strive to look at as positive instead of negative. Chris makes an excellent purse carrier in his chair, not to mention he can really clear a path at Wal-mart :] When we were planning our wedding, I looked for information concerning weddings involving wheelchairs and came up with bupkis. So we decided to try and do some creative things with his chair to share with the world (how our goal will be accomplished remains to be seen - still, it's there!) Our story may be different than most married couples - which makes us unique, just like everyone else.

I hope that our blog will become a source of inspiration. In the meantime, we hope it will serve as a way to keep up to date with our loved ones. Happy blogging!