Emily Rae Sturtevant Martin, here!

First blog entry. Pretty frightening.  I'll start with a tid bit about myself....

Originally from Athens, GA, and moved to Baltimore, MD at age 7, where my Mom remarried and I gained two brothers. Being the youngest of five gave me an interesting perspective & a loud mouth. Hence the purpose of this blog....it actually might save my husbands life by getting out my hysteria via the Internets instead of on him over dinner each night. Lets just say he's on the other end of the spectrum from me. Much quieter, more reserved. Larger grasp on reality, perhaps. But, as the great Paula Abdul taught me on the very first cassette tape I bought with my allowance I must have saved for 3 weeks straight in 4th grade, 'opposites attract.' It's true. I love him dearly, WHICH gets me to my purpose here on blogger.com. Truthfully, I'd really rather not clog up the already overcrowded blogosphere with my antics, but what a great space to have antics! So, why not?!

We just got married not even two months ago on October 23, 2010. Glorious day, might I add. 71 degrees in late October at the beach??? Yes and please and THANK YOU almighty wedding weather gods. Oh, his name is Jeremy by the way. My husbanatron that is. Important detail, as I continue writing.

Jeremy and I have dated for several years and are now taking our first steps into married life post wedding. I didn't think much would change after that fateful day in October  --- boy was I wrong. Our bond is stronger. Our love is thicker. Our home is homier (if that's a word??). It's like we took our life & relationship prior, and magnified all of the elements. What an amazing and exciting time this is, we're realizing. We recognize our first "married" pancakes. And our first "married" Sunday night beer at the Hamilton Tavern to kick off the week. And our first "married" Thanksgiving. I think I even recognized my first "married" shower after the wedding...weird, I know but this is how my mind works. It's just plain fun and definitely calls for celebration -- even mini, daily necessity ones, like showering.

Being married also brings on struggle and conflict at times. For instance, changing your name. BIG deal. VERY BIG DEAL. I didn't realize I would have such strong feelings about my maiden name, Clinton. I am planning on officially changing my name though as one of Jeremy's Christmas presents :). After much thought and deliberation, it's what I want ... to be a Martin and that much more connected to Jeremy. What makes it a bit easier is I also have two middle names, Rae and Sturtevant - both of which come from my mom. (She gits it from 'er maaama.) Sorry, sometimes I bust out in rap lyrics. Anyway, I'm holding on to both of those names for familial reasons. So, Emily Rae Sturtevant Martin it is!! Those who choose to hold on to their name after marriage - I'm totally with you. It's hard to let go. A name is much more than just some letters strewn together that live after your first name. It's very much your identity; who you are. So, POWER TO YOU, SISTER! May the maiden name live on!!! For me though, it's Martin :)

Obviously, marriage causes more struggles than that particular instance above, which again is why I'm here. To share my experiences, conflicts, amazements, joys, etc., in this new journey with my husbot. The hope being, I catch an eye or a share a moment, a similar situation. I can relate as a regular ol' gal, just living this sweet married life, perhaps just like you are. Life as we know it...for now...is truly amazing & worth sharing!!!!

Nice to meet you. Cheers & back later.
-ERSM