Daylight Atheism > A Personal Note

A Personal Note

As I've said in the past, I don't usually write about myself or my personal life on this blog. But every so often, something forces me to break that rule. This is one of those occasions.

As of yesterday, I'm engaged to be married to the love of my life: a wonderful woman who, for the past eight years, has been my friend and companion. It's been my great good fortune and happiness to have been together with her this far, and I'm looking forward to making our commitment a formal one.

I'm going to schedule the next few posts for automatic publication, but I'll be around to approve and answer comments as I find the time.

61 Comments

Congratulations!

Comment by: OMGF | July 13, 2008, 10:12 pm

WOW! Congratulations! I wish you all the best. Or to put it more appropriately, may your marriage maximize the happiness of both yourself and your fiance.

Comment by: Reality | July 13, 2008, 10:42 pm

Mazel tov!

Yeah, yeah, it's not QUITE a rationalist way of saying it. Call it force of habit! (grin)

Comment by: Jennifer A. Burdoo | July 13, 2008, 10:50 pm

Best wishes for the future!

Comment by: Nathan | July 13, 2008, 11:12 pm

Some things are more important than blogging. Go be happy and celebrate!

Comment by: Susan B. | July 13, 2008, 11:15 pm

Congrats! I hope that you two have fun planning your wedding.

Comment by: Lisa | July 13, 2008, 11:39 pm

Congratulations! May your future together be filled with joy!

Comment by: Jesse | July 13, 2008, 11:55 pm

Congratulations! :)

Comment by: OhioAtheist | July 14, 2008, 12:06 am

Congratulations!

Comment by: Erika | July 14, 2008, 12:20 am

Hey Adam, congrats.

I just got married this weekend. We had a humanist officiant, wrote our own ceremony that affirmed our dignity as fully-caused human beings and we read your Atheist Dinner Benediction before our meal. Aside from the fact that we fill our lives with the coolest people, both of us received nothing but praise for how "meaningful" our ceremony was and how touching was the "grace".

No meaning without God? I got your meaning right cheer.

Let us know how the big day turns out.

Comment by: heliobates | July 14, 2008, 12:29 am

:D -> Congratulations!

Comment by: Polly | July 14, 2008, 12:59 am

CONGRATS!!!

Comment by: WasAGod | July 14, 2008, 1:02 am

Congratulations!

Comment by: BruceA | July 14, 2008, 1:12 am

Congrats, Ebon. It's great to read that you're so happy!

Comment by: 2-D Man | July 14, 2008, 1:13 am

Congratulations.

Of course, you need to be prepared for the most annoying questions to come. "What are the wedding plans?" "When will the children arrive?" "Who is changing last names?" "When are you moving in together?" (Alternatively, "When are you getting a new house?")

And the final one "When are the children arriving?" Yes, because they WILL ask twice.

Comment by: Callandor | July 14, 2008, 1:42 am

Cool! I wish you two well.

Comment by: Kevin | July 14, 2008, 2:24 am

Congrats!

Comment by: caligatia | July 14, 2008, 2:39 am

Fantastic news! Well done mate. :)

Comment by: James B | July 14, 2008, 2:57 am

Ebon, that is stupendous news indeed. All people deserve happiness and prosperity, though some never seem to acquire. I am gladdened to hear the news. May it be fruitful and long lasting. :-)

Comment by: cinder | July 14, 2008, 4:39 am

A big congrats to both of you!

Comment by: Stacey Melissa | July 14, 2008, 5:49 am

Wonderful news, Adam. I know that it'll be a real marriage; you're doing it for yourselves and no one else, visible or invisible.

All the best! :D

Comment by: Dawn Rhapsody | July 14, 2008, 6:02 am

Congratulations to you both! I just got married last week, and I can assure you it's the most worthwhile thing you'll ever do.

Unless you have kids, of course. But good for you! I hope you will be blissfully happy together.

Comment by: yunshui | July 14, 2008, 6:46 am

Mazel Tov and goodonya!

I'm fortunate enough to be married to my best friend and unindicted co-conspirator. The meaning of life and purpose of the universe can be found in her smile. I wish you and yours love, peace and joy!

Comment by: Nightcap | July 14, 2008, 6:49 am

Congratulations! If you've been together for 8 years, then you can probably make it through anything.

Comment by: HeavyThinker | July 14, 2008, 7:37 am

In the words of the genius Tery Prattchett: May your loins be fruitful!

Comment by: Valhar2000 | July 14, 2008, 8:56 am

Congratulations, that's excellent news!

Comment by: David W. | July 14, 2008, 8:58 am

I second what Callandor said. It's a mix of good and bad. (good = you two, bad = everyone else being annoying - unless all your relatives are really laid-back).

Congrats.

Comment by: King Aardvark | July 14, 2008, 9:36 am

Congratulations to you and your betrothed!!! Church wedding?

Comment by: NoAstronomer | July 14, 2008, 9:54 am

Adam, congratulations!As with heliobates, I too had an entirely secular wedding and it was a blast. We wrote out own vows because they would be more meaningful to us if we did so, rather than using the vows of someone else's standards. After all, being married is a personal commitment between two people, so third parties are rather useless. Furthermore, the lack of any religious reference during the ceremony sent a clear message to those in attendance, especially to those who were religious, without hitting them over the head with it.

Again, congratulations.

Comment by: hb531 | July 14, 2008, 10:49 am

Hey, this is great! Best wishes for a long and happy life together.

BTW, don't sound so apologetic about writing personal stuff. If it's your own desire for privacy, that's understandable; but you might be surprised at how interested we really are.

Comment by: mikespeir | July 14, 2008, 10:55 am

Congratulations, Adam, and many of them!

Comment by: Rowan | July 14, 2008, 11:50 am

CONGRATS! :D

Comment by: Blue Linchpin | July 14, 2008, 12:35 pm

Many congratulations, and what took you so long?

NoAstronomer wrote
Church wedding?

I laughed... but anything is possible.

Comment by: Joffan | July 14, 2008, 12:39 pm

Wundaful! Glad to hear the news.

Comment by: Tommykey | July 14, 2008, 12:52 pm

Many congratulations to you both! :D

Comment by: Dominic Self | July 14, 2008, 1:37 pm

Congratulations on your engagement, Adam! And congratulations, heliobates, on your marriage. Now the fun begins! Mazel tov and Many Years.

Comment by: RedMolly | July 14, 2008, 2:36 pm

Best wishes to both of you! A happy marriage is a marvelous thing.

Comment by: jack | July 14, 2008, 2:37 pm

While I don't believe in the institution of marraige (I've always preferred promiscuous relationships) I still wish you and your girl the best of luck in your new life together. I hope that both of you will take away all you can from this relationship.

Comment by: Christopher | July 14, 2008, 3:32 pm

Congratulations!!!
Secular Weddings Rock!
No stale formula's to follow, and no guilt for all the... fornicating you did beforehand.
(8 years? I assume there was some fornication.)

Advice from a fellow married guy... The wedding prep will be stressful, but simply plan for the reception to be the best party you've ever thrown for your friends and family and you'll enjoy it.

Comment by: Louis Doench | July 14, 2008, 4:32 pm

I'll add congrats! I was married in a secular service, quick, to the point, and full of friends and my brother was married in a utterly long tedious religous one (poor guy, his mother-in-law is a nutcase evangelical minster) and guess which wedding people enjoyed more? :)

finding that special someone is probably one of the best things in life. My husband and I will have been married 17 years and together for 18.

Comment by: velkyn | July 14, 2008, 4:35 pm

Congratulations - I wish both all the best for the future

Comment by: Malky | July 14, 2008, 4:39 pm

CONGRATULATIONS!! And may Curly Howard never show up at your door at census time to ask "Are you married or happy?"

(JUST FOOLING- ALL THE BEST!)

Comment by: terrence | July 14, 2008, 4:45 pm

Congrats! I just got married last Saturday, welcome to the club ;) I wish you all the best!!!

Comment by: Rose | July 14, 2008, 5:21 pm

Congratulations and all the best!

Comment by: JR | July 14, 2008, 8:38 pm

Congratulations Adam, to you, to the future Mrs. Muse, and also to all your faithful readers who also a got married recently(heliobates, Yunshui, and Rose).

Congrats to all of you.

And post a few pics.

Comment by: Spanish Inquisitor | July 14, 2008, 10:02 pm

Big Congrats, Adam!

Comment by: BlackSun | July 14, 2008, 10:15 pm

Congratulations to both!

Comment by: Juan Felipe | July 14, 2008, 11:28 pm

gratz!

Comment by: Entomologista | July 15, 2008, 1:33 am

Congrats! Happy for you.

Comment by: Michael G.R. | July 15, 2008, 9:13 am

Eight years? That's longer than most folks manage to stay married these days. I'm curious as to which one of you proposed. It sounds like your future spouse is a very patient (or very mature) person - many people are not willing to wait and seem to think that no proposal equals a lack of commitment.
I've been married for a while now and can honestly say that I've never lived so fully as I've done since my wedding day.
Good wishes to both of you - I strongly recommend a cash bar at the reception :)

Comment by: Steven | July 15, 2008, 9:14 am

Congratualtions!

Comment by: GDad | July 15, 2008, 1:33 pm

Congratulations Ebonmuse and MissCherryPi!

Comment by: Nes | July 15, 2008, 7:34 pm

Congratulations! May you have a long and happy life together and be a blessing to each other and to those around you.

Comment by: Deacon Duncan | July 15, 2008, 7:54 pm

Thank you, all! My sincere gratitude to everyone who's left their kind wishes. And yes, you can all be assured that this is going to be a secular wedding. :) We're thinking of enlisting a Unitarian minister to be the officiant, which is absolutely fine with me. Of course, we have plenty of time to consider those details.

Also, just for the record: The legality of gay marriage in Massachusetts and California did not deter our decision in any way. ;)

Comment by: Ebonmuse | July 15, 2008, 10:45 pm

Congratulations, Adam! Much love to you and your lady!

Comment by: Judy | July 15, 2008, 11:07 pm

Good on you! I hope I'm not too late to wish you all the best.

Comment by: Metro | July 16, 2008, 12:53 pm

just wanted to say 'Congrats'. Wish you both all the best

Comment by: silentsanta | July 17, 2008, 3:56 am

Awesome! Congrats!

Comment by: Matt R. | July 19, 2008, 7:44 am

Sucker! No I mean, congratulations Ebon! ;)

Comment by: Janice | July 19, 2008, 11:47 pm

I'll echo everyone else's sentiments by wishing both of you the best :D. Congratulations!

Comment by: JoshH | July 22, 2008, 11:58 pm

Congrats, of course.

Here is a choice of attire to wear for the wedding:

http://www.t-shirts.com/t-shirts/Tuxedo-T-Shirt.html
http://www.t-shirts.com/t-shirts/Game-Over-T-Shirt.html

My secularly-married husband of 13 years (together for 14, phenomenally accidental kid of 13)just bought one of the second mentioned variety. It's a hoot because there is absolutely no truth in it. We have a wonderful (and entirely godless) marriage. I wish the two of you the same excellent luck. With eight years experience I think you will manage the "mixed" part just fine.

Comment by: Rosemary Lyndall Wemm | July 30, 2008, 10:07 pm