Back to Normal

I wouldn't say we are back in a routine, per se. But the days are taking on some normalcy.

We went to see King Kong and about midway through, someone pulled the fire alarm to get better seats. Everyone had to evacuate and we had to wait about a half hour for the show to start again. We had arrived at the theatre an hour in advance to be the third through the door and had perfect seats. Some guy went crazy when we tried to return to them. The holiday season can really bring out the reverse of peace and love in some people. (We were all o.k. with the seats we ended up with and the son of the guy who made an idiot of himself apologized.) So funny. I've never had anything like that happen before...

We enjoyed some quality time with Scott and the family. I've been splitting my time at work between working on burning the photos and studying for the actuary exam. I'm going to be focused on that for the next couple of months. It is going to be a real challenge, and one that matters.

I decided to use Mark's last name and today, I started that. I couldn't really use it on the honeymoon because all the reservations were made under Christensen and all my travel documents were still Christensen. So today at work, I switched my paperwork, let everyone know what to call me, and started answering the phones "Officer McCowen." It sounds so odd. I hope I get used to it. I have to wait for the legal part until after I take the exam or I'll get disqualified from taking it.

What an amazing season we have had this year. It really stands out as one for the ages.

If you have any stories from the wedding I would love to have them. I realized that the stories are usually about what went "wrong" because it stands out against the backdrop of beauty and elegance that one hopes the event will reflect. However, I also consider those "hiccups" to be what sets off the day as so miraculous. Since I know (for my part) how many very important things nearly didn't happen, it makes how beautiful and perfect it was all the more amazing and reinforces the view that things can go wrong and still be exactly right.

I think being flexible is the most important human quality. Change is the only constant.