The Newlywed Nine

The DJ has played his last song...

The Mai-Tai-infused honeymoon has ended...

The thank you notes have been laboriously written and postmarked...

Now that the wedding is officially over, we're settling into our new life as a real married couple. Not much has changed, if you ask this still-excited-to-be-married wife. There are, however, a few things that come along with life AFTER the wedding. For example:

• The "Newlywed Nine": While not quite as vicious as the Freshman Fifteen, it is surely as shocking. Now that daily trips to the gym and salad-only dinners have been replaced with gym absenteeism and ordering pizza every night, this happily married lady sure ain't so happy about packing on a few.
• The "What Do I Do With Myself Now?": Having spent nearly every moment of the past eleven months planning everything from tablecloth colors to cake toppers, this married matron keeps asking herself, "What do I do with myself now?" "What can I plan?" "What can I obsess over?" Sure, reorganizing her closet and cooking Food & Wine recipes pass the time, but they're not quite as fun as planning a wedding.
• The "Baby Bug": No question packs more post-wedding-power punch as "So, when are you having a baby?" And, to be honest, this potential mommy-to-be (someday) is starting to ask herself the same question.