I'm a lucky man. Yes, there is just quite no other way to say it. Yes, being a bachelor has it's advantages, but by my score keeping a wife and family has far more advantages. Tracy is asks from time to time if I miss my days as a confirmed bachelor, and I tell her every time that I don't. I'm not sure she believes me each and every time; never-the-less it is true.

I probably haven't acclimated perfectly to being a step-dad and husband (yes I know I'm not really married yet, but it's a family anyway), but I think I am doing a pretty good job for being thrown into it mid-stream. There are times when I miss the isolation of being surrounded by only my own thoughts, but more often than not I enjoy the commotion. The requests from Courtney to let friends stay over, or ask to go on a date. The list of "honey-do's" that I am still working on getting good at handling. To me it is all great. The love in my heart for Tracy and her family, the love they have for me; it's like nothing I have ever really enjoyed before now. Even when my parents were together, they weren't together; at least from I can easily remember. So this life I lead now, is for the most part extremely foreign to me. Not all things foreign though are bad. I love new experiences.

It's challenging at times. While Tracy and I enjoy many of the same things, we have diverging tastes as well. While she enjoys a good romantic comedy for example, I'm more of a action adventure or quality drama. I can enjoy a romantic comedy, or traditional comedy; but they aren't my favorites. We have seen many together though and I love to watch her laugh. While she really doesn't get into the action adventures, she has started to enjoy quality science fiction. Early when we were dating I got her hooked on Deep Space Nine and shortly after that I had her watching the new BattleStar Galatica. Then of course we can typically agree on dramas and cop shows. We both got hooked on The Closer and I introduced her to the West Wing. She was just as sad when West Wing ended its run as I was.

I'm finding that while dating was a learning experience about the other person, being engaged and being married is as much about learning what you have to bring to a relationship as it is about learning what your partner brings to the relationship. In other words, compromise. Something I am sure Tracy will readily admit, I am not so good at sometimes. But then Tracy can be just as stubborn as myself.

In the end, the past year's engagement has been one of the best times of my life and I look forward to a full life with Tracy and all that includes.