sent from: The High Street, Esher, Surrey, UK. destination: Sammamish, Washington, USA

Text on the card:

We’ve been married four months now, and I’ve wondered if things are different now than they were before – meaning in an age of co-habitation, civil unions, domestic partnerships, you might regard marriage (as I once did) as an almost unnecessary formality in a committed relationship. So, now, what? The ring I said I wouldn’t wear is the first thing I reach for in the morning, after giving my wife a hug of course. My wife, it feels new, exciting to be able to say that. I feel, frankly, more authoritative, more legitimate as an adult as a married man. I think people may take me seriously when I say “my wife and I..”. I suppose that’s what married means to me, although I couldn’t have told you this beforehand. I still can’t believe how lucky I am :).