Mr. and Mrs.

Newlyweds Ed and Mary Reynolds minutes after the wedding!

Yes, we really did it.  Ed and I got married yesterday by a Justice of the Peace in Show Low.

Yes, it was sudden.  So sudden our heads are still spinning.  But I've never been happier; I've never felt so at peace; I've never been so much in love.

I've tried to sit down and blog our whirlwind romance several times these past weeks, but everything has been so, well, whirlwindish!  There was just no time.  So many wonderful things have been happening between Ed and I, as well as with my (our) family, and I promise to share it all as soon as possible.

Dylan, age 12; Jacob, age 18; Ed and Mary; and Sarah, age 20.

We didn't tell anyone except my children (who already love Ed and think of him as their dad).  Oh, and my friend Wyndie, who happened to be there when Ed called me at work yesterday morning to tell me a Justice of the Peace would be available to marry us at 5:00 that afternoon.

It wasn't our intent to exclude anyone.  We only knew we wanted to be together as soon as possible, but we didn't really know how quickly that could be arranged.  When Ed came from his home in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to spend time with me and my children, he'd only planned to stay for 4 days, May 14-17.  Since his arrival, he's extended the length of his stay two times.  When we realized he really would have to fly back home next Tuesday, May 25, we began to talk about getting married sooner rather than later. 

Ed and I drove to Holbrook after school on Thursday to get a marriage license.  At dinner that night, Ed told the kids we were thinking about getting married right away.  They were enthusiastic about the idea.  In fact, for the rest of the night Dylan kept asking hopefully if we'd decided yet.

We didn't decide for sure until after Jacob's graduation Thursday night that we wanted to get married the next day.  Even then, we had no idea whether a judge would be available so quickly.  Thankfully, Judge Dana Sipes was willing to do the deed, and now Ed and I are husband and wife!

We found a big bag of wedding surprises waiting on the kitchen table when we returned home.

Thanks, Wyndie and Charla!

I suppose it was an odd wedding day.  We started out the morning not knowing if we'd even be getting married.  I'm still getting used to the idea that May 21st is now our anniversary!

I had to work all day, completing those end-of-the-school-year tasks that keep me so busy, but it was awfully hard to concentrate once I knew my wedding was just hours away!  When I got home from work, I helped Ed prepare burritos for dinner.  Then we dressed in our Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes and drove to the justice court. 

Our wedding was short and sweet.  We were both so nervous, I felt our hands trembling as we clasped them during the ceremony.  I was already wearing my engagement ring, but there were no wedding rings to exchange.  Originally we'd planned to get married on June 24th, so we had ordered custom wedding rings, which won't be ready for at least 3 more weeks. 

It was very special to have Sarah and Jacob serve as our witnesses.  Their signatures are now and forever attached to our license.  After the wedding, Ed was touched when Jacob grabbed him in a huge bear hug.  On the way home, Jacob and Dylan debated whether to start calling Ed "Dad."  As of now the decision is "maybe." 

As soon as we got home, we had to quickly change clothes and get Dylan to his ballgame.  Dylan wasted no time telling his coach (who is our bishop) about the wedding, and from there word spread like wildfire.  Soon we were surrounded by excited well-wishers at the Little League field.  My friend A'Lece even invited Jacob and Dylan to spend the night with her family so Ed and I could have some privacy for our wedding night.  We took her up on it!

Ed and Mary Reynolds, ages 49 and 55, at Mama Bears this morning.

I loved waking up as Mrs. Ed Reynolds this morning!  Ed suggested we go out to breakfast to celebrate, so we took the boys with us to Mama Bear's restaurant.  (Sarah is babysitting today.)  Since breakfast, Ed and the boys have been to ride go-carts at Family Fun Park and are currently challenging each other at Guitar Hero on Wii, giving me some time to blog. 

Dylan and Jacob at Mama Bears.

There is so much more to come!  We're planning an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon in June.  Ed lived in Alaska for 23 years and wants to show me the inside passage (whatever that is...).  In just 3 days Ed returns to Cheyenne to begin the process of relocating to our home in Arizona.  It will be so hard to put him on that plane, but I plan to follow him to Wyoming by car just 3 days after he leaves.  This will be an interesting summer, with both of us traveling back and forth, here and there, to merge our separate lives into one whole.

One important step still remains: on May 21, 2011, Ed and I intend to be sealed in the Snowflake Temple.  To us, yesterday's wedding was simply to satisfy the law and allow us to be together at this time.  The real cause for celebration will be when we are sealed for all eternity.  That's when we will invite all our family and friends to be there to rejoice with us! 

The road ahead will be a challenge, but there is nothing we can't overcome as long as we're together!