I know it's been a while

It is over a year since I have added anything to this blog! My apologies to my nonexistent readers.

A lot has happened in that year; the most important thing that has happened is that M and I got married! He asked me, with sapphire ring in hand, if I would like to marry him in early November, 2005, and on July 2 of this year we gave birth to a little glowing thing that is our marriage. The wedding was in Vermont, all in my home town, reception at the local park, complete with a red covered bridge and a view of the mountain. I know everyone says this about their own wedding, but it was perfect. The ceremony was full of what was meaningful to us. Our talented friends and family sang in a double quartet. I walked in to the chorus from Saint-Saens' organ symphony. My grandfather, who passed away in February, had recorded a blessing for us when I visited him last fall, and we played it just before processing out at the end. My sister and M's brother-in-law stood up for us, and my mother played the organ and made all of the flowers. Our niece Sora was flower girl. I loved my dress, and M's suit, and the colors of everything: birds'-egg blue, touches of purple, silver, and white. The weeks leading up to the wedding had been torrentially rainy, but we had a perfect blue-sky breezy summer day. At the reception, everyone enjoyed the food and the jazz music, and then relaxed on the extensive lawns, played frisbee, strolled by the lake...

Twenty days later we had a celebration in Barcelona for all of our European friends and family (about twenty people from Europe made it to Vermont for the wedding itself). Again, it was fabulous! Except for the dripping-wet heat... I was sure I'd never be able to peel my dress and sandals off, and that my makeup would drizzle down my face in a sad imitation of melting plastic. There was abundant and amazing Catalan food, and a beautiful outdoor location at the Font del Gat, a restaurant in the gardens of Montjuic. My parents were there, and a few friends from the US, but otherwise it was the European folks. Friends of ours sang American jazz and traditional Catalan songs, another friend and our fathers gave toasts, and another, a poet herself, read a poem that I had written last year for M.

So, now we are married, and living in Brussels. We're moving apartments here (this one being unsatisfactory for multiple reasons), and buying a new place in Barcelona so we can rent the old apartment. I'm writing my doctoral thesis (at least in theory), since last school year I passed my doctoral exams (whew!) and wrote my MFA thesis to get my degree in poetry. See, there are reasons I haven't written since last September!

I'll try to be more interesting/witty/anecdotal/politically incisive in future posts, but at least now you know an abbreviated version of what I've been up to for the last thirteen months.