Breath

Oh, wow ... how time has flown since I've last "written" or posted. (I haven't been writing my morning pages either, and I'm feeling it these days). 

Since the last post, I've added a name to my own. For many of you who have asked (and will continue to ask), the new name is Kristin Ditlow Yuan. (No more "Alynn"). God-willing, the "Dr." will be added to the beginning of my name, by the end of this academic year!

The absence of writing (and the limitation of my other creative needs, such as practicing) have been put on hold due to a small event called a WEDDING. Our wedding was "small" by most standards, especially by standards according to the county in which we were married. But getting ready for it felt like a gigantic task. Details. Payments. Handling the DJ, the photographer, the flowers, the menu. How are people getting from the church to the reception? (We did *not* rent a limo or bus. And it was just fine). 

I think the greatest mark of our wedding was my Dad's comment:

"I wouldn't have done anything differently." 

And that is a stamp of approval, because getting my beloved Dad to wear anything but a pair of jeans and a polar fleece is a semi-big deal. Add to it making him (at times) the center of attention and a lot of people, some of whom he doesn't know (my friends) and you have a situation which would make a lot of people uncomfortable. 

I never thought that I'd say that my wedding was "comfortable," but it really was. I didn't mind being in the dress all day (a pair of lower heels helped my feet be okay), my hair stayed put, thanks to the marvelous work of JR, I knew everyone who was in attendance, and the music was spectacular. 

So as I get a chance to breathe, in the middle of a coffee shop in Stevens Point, WI (I'm here for the first of a two-part residency that will conclude during the spring of 2014), I'm happy to say that Zheng and I survived, very happily, the planning and happening of our "big day."

We actually really loved it.  

Another thing that we loved about our wedding was how "personal" it was. Our friends played in an orchestra for us, conducted by another one of our good friends. Four other friends sang (some of these people were also bridesmaids or the maid-of-honor). My uncle took the pictures. Several of my mom's family handled the detail of getting lunch for the orchestra before the ceremony. And the gifts and cards we received were so personal as well. So many people wrote beautiful things in the cards (a few cards were hand-made). Ellen, who you've read about so much here in the blog, made an afghan which she started when we announced our engagement. Zheng's mom clothed my entire family in traditional Chinese-style dress. (Many of us wore these to the rehearsal dinner). Another uncle rolled a rolling pin for us! Aying made a speech which was so beautiful - in both Mandarin and English. The amount of work that took is phenomenal. (We were planning to do our vows bilingually, but that didn't end up happening). There are so many things for which we are grateful. The next weeks will be spent thanking those people with (personalized) thank-you cards. And my grandmother Nanny was a beacon of sainthood and sanity throughout.

So, with great pleasure, I can take a breath, and say, the work was worth it. We made the right decisions about how to cut costs, I survived planning a wedding from a distance while working two new jobs. We did this because of not only how stubborn we are, but also because of our amazing "family" and our continual reliance on God.