Becoming Mrs. S

As I mentioned before, I have chosen to take George's last name while keeping my maiden name as a second middle name. The logistics have been far easier than I anticipated. Since my change is not entirely standard, I decided to get a court order to make it all official; that took less than an hour and less than $150. I was even more impressed with Social Security; it took me 16 minutes from pulling into the lot to leaving the lot, including dealing with a cranky government employee. My health insurance change was somewhat amusing as George had to first end our domestic partnership relationship before then marrying me. With just a few random accounts remaining, I feel fortunate that everything has transitioned so smoothly.

I'm also transitioning into my role as wife. As a girlfriend, I was the fun sidekick charged with getting to know this character I called my boyfriend. As fiance, I was the wedding queen. Now that I'm wife, I feel a lot of responsibility...not just for myself but for both of us. Although I'm not necessarily traditional and George and I don't really believe in traditional gender roles, I do feel a certain pressure to keep a nice home while taking excellent care of George (not to mention being professional Ms. S). I'm new to this, so I don't know exactly what my particular brand of wife will look like, but I'm excited to take the example given to me by my many excellent role models, mix it up with our values, and see how the whole thing evolves over time.

Just yesterday I reread my favorite article of all time (clipped and sent to me by my mother shortly after leaving home permanently and moving to California). This time, I have a little different perspective on it. It's right: I have a heck of a lot of choices and options in life. In all the people in the world, I have been blessed with the most amazing, loving husband. I picked him, and I would pick him again each and every day if given the choice. I am both excited and overwhelmed that I get to spend the rest of my life figuring out my role as his wife while we build a life, a home, and a family together. Before I know it, I'll really be Mrs. S.