(Almost) Happily Ever After

Boy, was I naive. As a child, I'd fantasized about my dream wedding* -- somehow also believing it would smoothly and immediately transition into the dream life, the stuff of movies and fairy tales.

And once you've got the perfect husband? Well, the perfect job and the perfect house -- if not already checked off the "Perfect Life" to-do list -- would surely fall easily into place!

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Trust me, that won't be the case. We'll return, after the wedding and honeymoon, to our small-ish apartment, with ceilings that are prone to leaks when it rains too much and walls that have the uncanny ability to attract creepy-crawlies.

I'll head back to the 9-to-5 gig about which I'm decidedly "meh" -- while visions of a position that's more closely connected to my graduate degree (or something completely different [not to mention slightly unrealistic!] like launching a culinary career) jockey for the prime position in the forefront of my mind. (Come on, economy! Where's the love [and how 'bout the postings!] for communication professionals?)

And the mister will continue to wait tables by night, spending his days hitting the books to study up for the physical therapy boards so he can start the job he's already accepted (yea!) around October/November.

So really, our first few months of married life will look and feel quite similar to how we've spent the past few months -- something we foresaw and acknowledged during our Pre-Cana marriage preparation weekend in November 2008.

Although not much will change initially, we're expecting some major adjustments once Mr. Bruschetta starts working in his chosen field. For the first time in our relationship, neither of us will be in school. And we'll be able to loosen our belts a bit, thanks to another first: two full-time incomes. We've discussed how we'll divide our joint bills, and what we'll do to squirrel away funds into our savings.

But here's the real icing on this cake: Weekends will become the enjoyable break they're supposed to be for both of us. I'll happily trade my Saturday nights in (often spent catching up on my favorite blogs) for date night with Mr. Bruschetta, who'll no longer need to be schlepping food and drinks for lousy tips. I know a house will be in our future. For now, though, I'm just looking forward to cuddling up on the couch (or dining out in Philly) with my new husband (!!!).

What major life events will (or did) you still need to cross off after the wedding?

*I do think it's funny that, as a little Bruschetta, I'd also arbitrarily selected the "ideal" ages by which I wanted to be engaged (24) and married (26) -- and, oddly enough, those guesses turned out to be completely accurate!