Two years ago today, on May 22, 2010, I rolled out of bed after a restless night of butterflies. I felt nauseous the moment my feet hit the floor. I walked over to the sink in my room at the CCF house and looked in the mirror. I remember literally asking myself out loud, "Amanda, why are you making yourself sick? There's no reason to be nervous about today. Today is going to be the happiest day of your life at least until the day that we become parents." It didn't help. Normally when I've made myself sick from nerves washing my hair helps. I don't know why, it's just the most relaxing thing in the world to me. However, the only way to get my hair to hold a curl is to not wash it for 24 hours before curling it, so that was out of the question since I had an appointment to get my hair and nails done at 10:00 or 11:00, I don't quite remember.
So, there I stood, feeling as if I should appear a pale shade of green and not sure what to do. It was somewhere around 8:00am. Next thing I remember is answering a phone call from my soon to be brother-in-law asking if I was hungry and that he was going to bring me breakfast. At first, I cringed at the thought of food. Second, I was surprised because I couldn't quite believe that Bobby was awake that early and because well, I don't know. It was just the last thing I expected I suppose. It meant a lot to me that he called. There was something significant to me about that offer that really sunk deep and ensured to me one last time before I was officially a Holland that I was already family.
Bobby brought me biscuits and gravy with bacon. I ate a few bites before realizing that I probably wouldn't be able to hold much food down today and immediately the most terrifying image of me walking down the aisle with vomit down the front of my dress struck me. Needless to say I didn't eat anything else. When he left, Lisa and I packed up and went to get my hair and nails done. This was in itself an adventure worthy of panicking any bride. The woman who practiced my wedding do less than a week before looked me in the eye when I arrived and said that she has to leave and can't do my hair. I can only imagine the shades of white that took over my face at this fact. She ensured me that the woman who taught her everything she knows will be doing my hair and then pointed at a girl that, no joke, was half her age. Sheer panic. I couldn't protest due to the fact that I was speechless. I believe I actually said "Okay, that's fine." when in my head I was screaming in a sailor-like manner because of my lack of believe that this girl could have actually taught her everything she knows. My mind just wouldn't accept it. I was lead into another room where they would do my nails first. My toes looked great! That was such a relief! However, my naturally long fingernails which I asked to be painted as a french manicure were not painted straight. I'm not talking about little imperfections that no one would notice. I'm talking about my thumb nails that looked the girl painted them with her non-dominant hand as a practical joke. Looking back, I should have started laughing and asking where the hidden cameras were. This can't be real. Oh, but it was, and this wasn't even the best part. Fortunately, they fixed my nails at my request and the young lady did an amazing job on my hair! I was thrilled! Naturally then, they asked for payment to which they received a deer in the headlights look coming from my direction. The short moment of relief that I felt was long gone and my dear friend of the day, Mr. Panic, took over. I had over looked this detail somehow. In all of my excitement about the day, I didn't even think about bringing money to the salon. Yes, that's right, I'm an idiot. So I left the one person that was spending the day with this crazy bride, Lisa, as collateral while I ran to an ATM only to find that I didn't have enough money in my account to pay to get my friend back.. I emptied my account and drove back to the salon. I gave them everything I had and my wonderful Lisa covered the rest of it. Lisa, I love you! She also bought me a new pair of flats that day because I decided the shoes I intended to dance in were too painful. Once again, I love you Miss Lisa. :D
Chaos aside, we got back to our house and Lisa fixed my make-up. She did such an amazing job and I, to this day, can't repeat the beauty that she created. From then on, this day was exactly as I imagined. It was relaxing knowing that at 6:30pm I would be marrying my best friend. When the time came, I was driven from the building I dressed in to the chapel over-looking Ft. Gibson lake. I walked under the beautifully lit pavilion (realizing I had forgotten the expensive veil that I threw a fit to have, but it was too late to get it) and down the aisle to the white gazebo surrounded by bright colored flowers. There stood the love of my life. Little did I know that the humor and embarrassment of the day was just about to begin. During our vows, the best man who happened to be a lawyer with the same quirky personality as Bradley, handed us a folded piece of paper with which he wrote in large print with a pen "PRENUP". I should have known between these two goofballs and the king of all goofballs(our pastor) that havoc would be among us and to be honest, I wouldn't have had it any other way. When it was time to exchange rings, Brad held out his hand with a straight face and proceeded to place a candy machine ring on my finger. To the audience who couldn't see why I pulled my hand away and looked at him like he was Denise the Menace, I'm sure they all thought I'd come to my senses and changed my mind. I'm just kidding. I knew what I had signed up for a long time ago. Everyone laughed and Brad placed a real and gorgeous ring on my hand. Then the ceremony ended with a kiss, but not any kiss, the kind of kiss you'd expect from a groom who's sole purpose in life is to make his bride blush. He placed a hand behind his back as I looked at him quizzically, then popped the tic-tac that his best man had just handed him into his mouth and, as he kissed me in front of all of our family and friends, exchanged the tic-tac into my mouth.
This day, two years ago, truly set the bar for our marriage. Up to this point, Brad has been able to make me blush in probably 15,000 different ways. I love it though. It has kept us beyond entertained. Even most arguments end in one of us making a funny face and an eruption of laughter. Not only has the humor transferred to our marriage but also the chaos of that morning. I've broken wine glasses from our wedding and cried hysterically for hours. He took apart the dash of his car to fix a chip and the entire dash fell apart resulting in us having to sell the sports car that was the only thing standing between the young us and the old and married us and I cried hysterically for hours. Brad fell while rollerblading and we spent all night in the ER and I cried hysterically for hours. I lost our puppy temporarily and cried hysterically for hours. I think you get the general pattern here.
Brad, here's to many many many more years of chaos and humor. I love you with everything that I am.
XOXO,
Mrs. Holland
