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My grandmother had a cold sore on her lip the day that my papa asked for her hand in marriage. When I was a kid, my mom would relay this story to me in ghastly details that a child suffering with a blistering, cold sore could truly appreciate.

As a child this amazed me. How could she possibly have survived? How did he still manage to ask her? Obviously they didn't feel it was as big a deciding factor as I had. Ignoring the cold sore and still marrying one another was, in my mind, the pinnacle of love. (Forgive me, I also thought baby rats and caterpillars would make great pets.)

I've been thinking about my grandparents and all of my family more these days. And my recollections of them, and the stories they tell me, have helped me concentrate on the more important aspects of this time. I dont mean the wedding, though I would be lying if I said I wasnt excited about it. But a wedding is only one day, and Im about to start a whole life with Gareth.

(Note to myself: I wonder when planning my wedding evolved into the most stressful ordeal of my life. It must have happened recently since I haven't been engaged all that long.)

Somehow, through all the recent hoopla I still manage to recall that weddings are not just about picking out flower arrangements, they're also about creating a new family for yourself, moving from being single into sharing your life, and a slew of other changes. Not to mention that life, crazy as this may seem, actually goes on while you plan a wedding. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this strange phenomenon.

When I think back on that story now, I see how my papa looked past all the superficial bumps and got down to the business of starting a life with the woman he loved.

I dont think I have any misconceptions about my future. Im excited, Im ready, and Im probably as nervous as the next guy (girl). Fortunately, Ive had 26 years to surround myself with--and I know this is a horrible and ridiculously sappy metaphor but bare with me as it goes with the whole theme--the best cure for blemishes of any kind: friends and family, and of course this man who I adore. And if I get cold sore the day of my wedding, Ill just apply a little lip balm, shine a huge grin and hope I dont trip walking up that aisle. Which, frankly, is a lot bigger immediate worry for me. Little bumps are no problem.

30 August 1999, Stacie Lewis