Two Years of Wedded Bliss

"Do you remember the 29th of September?
Love was changing the mind of pretenders
While chasing the clouds away

Our hearts were ringing
In the key that our souls were singing.
As we danced in the night,
Remember - how the stars stole the night away, yeah yeah yeah.

Hey hey hey,
Ba de ya - say do you remember
Ba de ya - dancing in September
Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day..."
-Earth, Wind & Fire

Today is our second wedding anniversary. In many ways, it seems like longer because we've gone through SO much in the past two years! I can hardly believe it. Starting a business, starting school, closing the business, moving cross country, starting new lives in a new city, starting new career paths, travels for work, mom moving out here, ailing parents, healed parents, let's make a baby, we're pregnant, baby is on the way...oh my!

Ah, to be relaxing under a palm tree on the Pacific Shores of Hawaii. What I wouldn't give! To celebrate, I'm working a short day, J has the day off and we're heading to a nice, romantic dinner. Our wedding day was one that I will never forget - the pure emotion and overwhelming feeling of standing together, pledging our love and respect for each other and committing to walking through all of life's joys and sorrows as partners in front of our closet family and friends. It was incredible.

This video montage of our ceremony was shot and edited by my younger brother.

It was a gorgeous September day in paradise. We love Kauai and I cannot wait until we can get out there again...this time with our new daughter. Some of my best memories have been made there...first as a child and teenager vacationing there with my family and later, vacationing there with J and falling in love with him on the beaches of the North Shore, relaxing for weeks at a time with him and eventually, becoming husband and wife there.

Our wedding day was just a celebration of the commitment we had already made to be lifelong partners and each other's best friends no matter what may come or happen. We've been together for eight years and married for two. There's no other person in this world with whom I would rather walk this journey.

Second Trimester Update

Whoa! Where does the time go? I am now approximately four months pregnant. And I am defnitely starting to look pregnant. I promise to post a bump pic soon since I have now, finally, located the USB cord for my camera! Now I just have to recharge the batteries! I also finally have a ton of photos from winter that I need to post too.

Let's see, where are we with all of this "preparing for baby" business?

We have started our registry at Amazon.com after pouring through the Baby Bargains book and dozens of review web sites. We've decided upon the major things that we need before baby comes...a bassinet (Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper in Cherry), car seat (Graco32 in Zurich with two bases, one for each car and the stroller frame), bath (Spa Baby European Style Tub aka Tummy Tub), baby carrier (Moby Wrap in Sienna), and swing/infant seat (Fisher Prices Zen Collection Cradle Swing).

We have researched cloth diapering and are pretty sure that we're going to go with unbleached Indian cotton prefolds, snappis and thirsties diaper covers.

My mom has already bought us some "gender netural" clothing on sale from consignment shops and off-price retailers like Ross and Marshalls. I am headed to Just Between Friends on Saturday evening here in Tulsa, but hope to hold off on buying more clothes until we know for sure whether it's a girl or a boy. We should find out on September 11. That's when I have my Level II Ultrasound scheduled. Just in time too...the Monday after that I am off to Scotland and England for a week! By the way, my bloodwork for the Triple Screen has come back and everything is good. YAY!

We are already looking into our daycare options, since we need a place for the Little Being during the days/times J is in school. We plan to visit St. Dunstan's Preschool next week. I hope we like it in person. It comes very highly reviewed, is conveniently located between our home and my work as well as J's school and work and they offer part-time care, which we want. We only need 1-2 days/week, at least to start. And their prices are right....so I am praying that this is the place for us!

From even before we got pregnant, we were considering hiring a doula to help us with labor. We've since nixed that idea, since the dozen or so local ones I've contacted are all unavailable for my due date. So, we've decided to go with the Bradley Method, i.e. "husband coached childbirth" and have hired a private instructor to come to our home for classes in November since we have such wacky schedules that never permit us to be able to attend the regularly scheduled classes in our area. Chris and Sandra, parents of our godson who will turn one on Friday, highly recommend the Bradley Method, so we're feeling pretty positive about it too.

J is actually excited about this and feels confident in his ability to work with my mom in coaching me through labor. My main concern is not heading to the hospital too early because we're panicking. So hopefully in the coming months we will feel more prepared on how to handle laboring at home. I am also reading Ina May Gaskin's "Guide to Childbirth" and it really makes me want a home birth. Maybe next time? By then J will be an R.N. so maybe it will something we'll feel more comfortable with doing.

Oh, and I have found a local photographer who has offered us a fantastic deal on a maternity shoot as well as newborn, 3, 6, 9 and 12 month sessions. Our first photo shoot will be in November...us (with my big belly) and our pugs too.

Whew! It's been a busy couple of weeks. It's like, all of the sudden, I've realized that we're going to be parents in 6 short months. So I have flown into major planning mode. And nesting mode! Sunday morning I scrubbed the kitchen floors until they sparkled, same with the stove and washed down all of the cabinets and appliances. Next, I'll tackle the bathroom. I guess my second trimester energy is kicking in. I still get tired, but am not exhausted like I was in the first trimester. And my nausea has all but gone away at night (I sometimes get a little queasy if I've stayed up too late).

So, life is good. J started school (books are SO expensive these days...sheesh!) and we're looking forward to the weather changing soon. It's been one hot summer! Our second wedding anniversary is at the end of next month, so we're starting to think of how we'd like to celebrate. Whew! Where does the time go?

One year later!

Today marks our one year anniversary since moving to Tulsa. We can hardly believe it! In many ways it seems longer and in others like it's not been that long at all. We have been through all four seasons and for two Californians used to basically one season all year long, that was very interesting.

I am friendly with my coworkers but I don't talk to or see any of them outside of work. And aside from my friend that I met on the internet long before moving here I still haven't made any friends here. That's been difficult. And something I desperately want to change. I am at a loss, really. I am outgoing and friendly but I guess I just don't find myself in situations where I am meeting other women my age with similar outlooks on life. So my goal is to change that. Not sure how just yet, but it's my goal.

J has befriended some coworkers, but none that he hangs out with outside of work. Not that he has the time between two jobs and school. School is full-time for him starting next week. We're hoping he gets a tuition waiver based upon merit. He has been accepting into the CNA program, so our fingers are crossed. We should know in a couple of weeks either way.

Other than that, we're just taking it easy this summer and trying to beat the heat! Mom is still in CA and might be there for most of June. I have some travels for work...DC in mid-June and Detroit at the end of July. I also plan to start yoga at a local studio. J will be busy with work and school but hopes to get out to Vegas at some point to see his dad and stepmom. I also hope we can do a couple of overnight getaways locally. There are some neat places within a day's drive from here. Depends upon our schedules and if gas prices skyrocket. Since the week before Memorial Day they're already up $0.30/gal. We also plan to check out some local happenings like summer festivals, concerts and farmer's markerts. We have tickets to see comedienne Kathy Griffin in July. Here's looking forward to a wonderful summer!

Anniversary Dinner

Last night we had a romantic dinner at the Warren Duck Club, where J manages the breakfast and lunch shifts. It was his first time there in the evening and he said it was WAY different. I have never been there and all I know is that I thought it was fabulous. Best of all, it wasn't very crowded, so we had a nice little table next to the window that overlooks the courtyard. The meal was great from start to finish and best of all, it was complimentary!

J wore his "nuptial shirt" and I wore the same earrings and shoes that I wore on our wedding day. Neither of us had told the other we were planning to do that, so it was cute when we realized that each of us was donning a "token" from our wedding day.

For starters...

Champagne

Mushroom Ragout and Polenta
Domestic and Wild Mushrooms Cooked in Butter, Red Wine and Herbs Served Over Parmesan Polenta with White Truffle Oil

Jumbo Crab Cake and Seared Scallop in Lemon Butter Sauce
Our Own Special Recipe of Premium Crab and Seasonings, Pan Seared To a Golden Brown, Topped with a Scallop and Balsamic Port Reduction

Salad course...

Duck Club Salad

Seasonal Greens, Candied Walnuts, Pears, Gorgonzola, and Yellow Tomatoes Tossed in Our Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing

Warren Place Caesar Salad

Our Award Winning Classic Presentation with Fresh Garlic, Eggs and Anchovy Expertly Blended Together to Create this Memorable Salad

Main course...

Pistachio Crusted Sea Bass
Fresh Chilean Sea Bass Breaded with Crushed Pistachios and Roasted Served with Chef’s Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables, Finished with frangelico Cream

Signature Sampler
Here We Offer Our Famous 8 oz. Blackened Tenderloin Paired with Your Choice of Rotisserie Duck or Salmon. Served With Your Choice of Risotto or Chefs Mashed Potatoes and Chef’s Vegetables

Wine...

I had an awesome Clos du Bois Pinot Noir and J had a bold Cabernet.

Dessert...

They night finished with a sinfully rich chocolate cake that had Happy Anniversary written in chocolate sauce on the plate.

One Year Later...

One year ago, J and I were married on the shores of Kauai. It was a gorgeous day, full of emotion—lots of laughter and a few tears of joy too. It was an intimate ceremony, surrounded by 21 of our nearest and dearest. Even more, they had all traveled to be there that day and we got to enjoy their company on the Garden Isle for a full week, which was amazing!

They always say that the first year of marriage is a challenge. I never thought it would be for us, because we’ve already been together for many years. But, alas, this year was full of challenges! So much so that we can hardly believe that only 12 months have passed since we said “I do” in Hawaii. Some days, it seems more like 12 years! From my car accident in October, to his mother’s near-deadly bout with pneumonia in December…starting my event planning business in February and closing it down, along with my voice studio, to up and move to Tulsa, Oklahoma and start new jobs and a new life. No matter what, we’ve met these challenges head-on, together, as a team. And that is what being married is all about!

We’ve had great joys too…from the daily comforts we give to each other, to getting a new puppy to raise together, buying a new CRV (and feeling good about it!), supporting our friends as they prepared for the birth of their son and exploring our new city of Tulsa together.

As we celebrate our first wedding anniversary we reflect on the love that we share and the vows we spoke to each other, before God, our family and friends:

On this day, I promise to be your best friend and loving partner in marriage. Together, we will share all of the triumphs and challenges that life may bring. I commit to the friendship upon which our love is based, and promise that I will consciously renew this commitment daily, so that our partnership in marriage will always be strengthened.

I promise to communicate with you patiently, expressing myself openly and honestly, while respecting your unique individuality and view of the world. I will not make assumptions; if I do not understand, I will ask.
In a difficult situation, I will look upon my own contribution to it rather than cast judgment upon you and will offer you acceptance, rather than criticism. When I am wrong, I will offer amends and when I have been wronged, I will offer forgiveness. I will continue to seek personal growth as an individual, so that I may always bring the best of myself to our relationship.

As your husband, I promise to encourage your dreams and goals, celebrate your accomplishments and embrace you in all of your endeavors, come what may. I will honor your trust in me and put our marriage above all outside influences. I will build a home with you that will be a peaceful and safe place that provides us comfort and is a refuge from the world. I will make time each day to laugh with you and promise to always greet you with a kiss and a smile. Things will not always be perfect or easy, but with God's help and our commitment to each other, I will love you without condition, support you without reservation, comfort you with compassion and stand by your side through all of our joys and sorrows, today, tomorrow and for all the days of my life.

And we look toward our future together…J finishing school and transitioning into a new career field. Investing in our retirement funds. Thinking about buying a house and starting a family. Not all next year, of course, but sooner, than later. Most of all, we are grateful for how we were brought together all those years ago…the most unlikely of couples in the eyes of many…and have grown together as best friends, partners, lovers…as husband and wife.