I took off work today so that Luke and I could apply for our marriage license at the City-County Building downtown this morning and visit with our DJ in Valparaiso early this afternoon, all before we're due in Rensselaer so I can properly fulfill my volunteer duties for an end-of-the-year senior dinner at Saint Joe, a dinner I had to cover for the college's alumni magazine just last year. It's hard to believe I've been away that long. I wonder if there's a trace of me left.
Everything with the license went smoothly. I was even a little impressed with the thoroughness of the county's questions, which included:
- Are you now or have you ever been adjudged to be of unsound mind?
- Are you now under the influence of an alcoholic beverage?
- Are you now under the influence of a narcotic drug?
I didn't make it past the first question before I was digging in my purse for my notebook, so eager was I to share this information with you. What would happen if the answer to any of those questions was yes? Better yet, what if you said no but it was obvious to the whole world you'd enjoyed one Bloody Mary too many? Is the clerk authorized to make you stand on one foot or touch your finger to your nose? If so, how the hell did Ross and Rachel get married in Vegas on Friends?
They also worked in a special signature testifying to the fact that we both received our handy-dandy "Before You Marry: Information on Sexually Transmitted Disease and HIV" brochure, where they adamantly spell out your rights to privacy and even anonymynity. In other words, if Luke tests positive for syphilis, he doesn't have to tell me about it, and the state doesn't have to tell me about it, which makes me wonder what the point is at all.
Anyway, we filled out our application and paid our eighteen dollars and suddenly the clerk was asking us to raise our right hand and I was like, Holy $h!t, she's gonna do this RIGHT NOW, but she just laughed and reassured us she was only swearing us in.
So now we have a marriage license. Out of all the elements we've planned for this wedding so far--hall, flowers, music, and so on--this piece of paper is one of the only things actually required for this to happen. I told Luke I'm now fully within my legal rights to call him "Hus." I'll earn the "band" part in fourteen days--literally.
Too cool! So, glad they got rid of the sexist blood test. In 14 days, I get to say do you mean this Mrs. Dunscombe or that one or that one at the wedding. Yeah!!!!
Posted by: PJ Librarian | April 28, 2006 at 01:22 PM
Yay for the marriage license!
Posted by: Hilary | April 28, 2006 at 02:35 PM
Ohh very good! And, ha! I remember the excitement when we got our marraige license. When you have a baby they'll make you go through STD testing and information crap again, and give you brochures for just in case you pass whateverthehell on to your baby. Indiana, a fun place to live.
I just emailed you, also. :0) Good luck on everything you have to do today!!
Posted by: Lost a Sock | April 28, 2006 at 06:35 PM
Will you be doing the YMCA?
Posted by: butterflygirl | April 29, 2006 at 12:45 AM
But it would be so much more fun to call him Hus-sy...
Haha, maybe that'll be my new pet name for Patrick. "Vice-President In Charge Of Planning And Implementation" is just SUCH a hassle...
Congratulations on the license. We almost forgot to get ours and had to go the DAY BEFORE the wedding...oops...
Posted by: PaintingChef | April 29, 2006 at 01:26 AM
IS there a part of the cert that the priest must sign? IF not, then you ares married. If so, then it's not official until he oks it.
Ohio gives priest rights to deem a couple legally married.
Posted by: Tommy | May 01, 2006 at 12:51 PM
Almost there! I love that you thought the clerk was gonna do it right then and there; I'm sure I would have thought the same thing.
Posted by: Fraulein N | May 01, 2006 at 01:17 PM
I DID think the same thing and then the lady at the courthouse laughed histerically at me and dimissed us. When we got to the car my hubby explained it to me in very simple terms and I got it. ;) (I was a little stressed.)
Posted by: Paige | May 01, 2006 at 04:04 PM
very exciting!! best wishes!!
Posted by: kate | May 02, 2006 at 04:13 PM
Indiana does the whole marriage bid different...thank God for no STD's, huh?! ;)
Anywho, your wedding is creeping up like a wedgie! ;) I"M SO HAPPY FOR YOU TWO!
Posted by: Sambo V. | May 03, 2006 at 11:52 PM
Much cooler than how it went down for us in Seattle. They just asked us to swear that we were who we said we were. And then took our money.
Your story is MUCH better.
(so, you weren't stoned? Because that would make the story even cooler!)
Posted by: Isabel | May 04, 2006 at 07:32 PM