Way to Go, NY

Today is a great day to be a New Yorker, even a transplanted one. While I was asleep by the time the crowds were gathering at The Stonewall Inn, waking up this morning to friends' Facebook posts and the front page of the New York Times was something really special. And surprisingly emotional.

I really never thought I'd get married. It may have been a preemptive declaration on my part- saying it myself to save face, somehow- but I said it enough to believe it. And if I'd never gotten married, I would have been fine. I still would have had great friends, a fun job, creative outlets, caring family, furry pets, favorite TV shows, good food, sunny days, new car smells...all of it. But the planets aligned and pigs flew and Hell froze over, and one day- one fantastic, memorable day- I was married.

And it's been awesome.

Being married has been so much more than "playing house." More than the sharing of a bed, the division of chores, the syncing of calendars, the cooking of dinners. It's felt like a partnership in a more permanent way than if we were simply living together. It feels like people take us more seriously, somehow. That we are legit.

When we got married last year, our friends Tasha and Amanda planned our wedding/elopement for us. From finding an officiant and church, to booking hotel rooms, getting flowers, hiring a photographer, making dinner reservations...they did all of it for us, and they did it with so much love. At the time, even though it was the Best Damn Day of My Life, I remember feeling a little sad that Tasha and Amanda couldn't legally do for themselves what they were doing for us. There was some irony there. The bittersweet kind.

But today, what I've been thinking about the most isn't that there are 44 more states to go, or that tomorrow's Pride Parade is going to be a blast, or even that the elderly couple on the next block (Ricky and Jimmy) can finally marry after 40 years together.

I've been thinking that I'm going to get to return the favor. I may get to plan my best friends' wedding.

And it's going to be awesome.