forever, you said forever

I haven't updated as often as I would have liked, but I have been especially busy this semester and I am happy to say that. I am enrolled in some wonderful classes with some especially bright and awe-inspiring professors.

Over the weekend, Paul & I traveled to St. Louis to see the wedding of my ex-roommate, Heather. She was marrying her long time partner, Shawn, and they looked so happy together. I really think that they are perfect for each other. Throughout the ceremony I thought about the times that she said she wasn't ready to think about love or marriage, and he was definitely the person who brought it all out of her. I'm really happy for them, but mostly I am really happy for her because she has been one of the most wonderful people I ever had the privilege of meeting and certainly one of my best roommates.

She threw the bouquet and for the record, I caught it. I don't think I have ever tried before to catch it at any wedding, and I am quite clumsy. Most of my friends can attest to this. I don't know what it was then, that helped me to catch it, because for a moment I felt like something pushed my feet up from the ground and it landed neatly in my hand. Heather looked at me and said "You're next." The guys stood on the sidelines looking at Paul.

The 18th of this month will be our three year anniversary. It is crazy to think about how things could have been so different. I think about the fact that I could have always fallen in love with someone who could not legally marry me. I think about my past relationships and how everything always fell through. I think about all the terms that I have used in order to describe myself, all of them socio-political, and I think about the consequences of being in a male-female relationship. It's all very interesting.

I think about all this, but I also think to myself that I have found someone I love very much.

-Monique