Whoohoo, Rob and I have been married now for nine days!  The wedding was beautiful and it was wonderful getting to see so many people who are special to us in one place at one time.  I was thrilled that our immediate families were able to travel, some from great distances, to be with us.  That was the best wedding gift of all.

Both of our brothers gave readings during the ceremony and both of our sisters-in-law were in the wedding party.  My three nephews participated by lighting candles or carrying the ring pillow.  Everybody looked awesome.  We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather as well with fall colors at their peak.

After the wedding, we were able to spend a little bonus time with some family members who stayed an extra day or two.  One thing we did on Sunday was to drive Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park.  We returned later in the week, a trip during which Rob and I walked a bit of the Appalachian Trail.  The climb to the trail was a bit challenging, but very much worth it.

During the days which followed, I put my energy into recovering from all of the excitement and physical exertion.  You might wonder how my MS behaved itself during the festivities.  Very well, actually.  

We discussed the way MS could impact my abilities on the wedding day with our pastor and the church wedding coordinator.  Our ceremony was at 11:30 am and our pastor promised that we would be done at noon.  I think that it was 12:05 pm when we were sitting for a moment waiting to take formal family photos after the ceremony.  

We did do one thing differently. Usually immediately after the service, if the couple chooses NOT to have a receiving line, the coordinator would sneak the couple down a flight of stairs to return up a different flight of stairs back into the sanctuary.  Instead, we walked out the front door and came back in a side door to ‘hide’ for a moment while our friends got ready to head over to the reception.

At the reception, Rob and I even had our "first dance" after lunch.  The dance itself wasn’t too difficult, however I did suddenly have fears of tripping on my dress as my feet got tangled up a couple of times.  But practicing the dance in the week before the reception took a lot of energy.  I had limited leg time each time we were planning and practicing our humble routine.  Rob and I had never danced before, so it was certainly an adventure.

I was amazed that there was so much standing involved during the ceremony.  I sat down a few times to rest, but then someone else would come up to give me their congratulations and I was compelled to stand up and give hugs.  The amount of sheer adrenaline that kept me on my feet was astounding.

Now, let’s talk about Saturday night, Sunday and the following days.  My legs were PAINFUL!  My toes were numb and the RA in my feet and knees was screaming.  It took several days until I started to feel almost normal again, however I’m still not at full capacity.