The Battle of the Blankey

Oh my gosh. What an overwhelming response to my first post. Seriously--I'm so thankful to be surrounded with constant love and support. Emily and I have hit the jackpot in family, friends, and loved ones, that's for sure!  My first post was full of that lovey-dovey romance you might expect from a wedding blog. This time I'm going to take a different turn.

I have had a security blanket or "blankey" my entire life. Until I started going to school, I took my blankey everywhere I went. After that, even to this day, I still sleep with my blankey every night.

Blankey by my side.

From my College RA days: a couple residents and I with our blankets. 

My blankey has taken on a few different faces over the years. I started with the receiving blanket that came with a Winnie-the-Pooh baby bedding set. That met its demise when Mocha, our chocolate lab puppy, mistook it for a tug rope (don't worry, it got a proper burial in the back yard). I then switched to the quilt blanket from the same bedding set, which is the same one I still have today. It had to be reupholstered a few years ago, but it's still as trusty as ever.

Blankey as it looks today: New fabric over the main quilt with the original well-loved trim.

My blankey has become a notorious part of me, and has often been the butt of several teases from my family members. My sister Brittany even caught a 10-YO me using Blankey as a veil in an intense wedding make-believe session with a Kenny G album. My mom and grandma always used to ask me, when referring to my Blankey habits, "What are you going to do when you (actually) get married?"

Well folks, we've finally come to that point. And, if Emily had her way, I'm not sure Blankey would ever be allowed back in our bed.

The other morning, I caught Emily tossing Blankey begrudgingly aside as she made the bed. The reason for that? As she tells it, I was violently patting around the bed in my sleep looking for something. She thought it was a sweet gesture of looking for her and a few extra cuddles. As it turns out, that violent patting stopped as soon as I found Blankey and rolled over away from her.

This isn't the first time Emily has found a little resentment for my beloved fabric square. From the very first night we shared a bed, Emily questioned why Blankey was always stuffed under my head and between us. It also came up during our weekly prompt from our "pre-marital counseling" books (more about those in a future post). She established that her least favorite part of living with me was having to share bed space with Blankey. At least she was laughing hysterically to herself when she wrote about it.

Thankfully Blankey has become a source of humor during our bedtime routine, even if it is rooted in Emily's jealousy. Every night we share a few chuckles and teases as Blankey is settled between us.

And don't let her fool you! I've even caught her using one of our throw blankets to prop her head up in the same way Blankey does for me.  Even she can't deny true comfort.

So what does happen with Blankey when I get married? It keeps Emily warm when it's the only blanket we can find while staying in cold houses, and gives us the chance to add a few extra laughs to our day. And I promise that Blankey will be packed for cuddles on our honeymoon, not used as my veil.