September 2011

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Dan and I celebrated our one year anniversary the same way we celebrated our wedding – with friends and family.

King and Queen at Medieval TimesWe were originally hoping to attend the last weekend of the annual New York Renaissance Faire, but since it was supposed to rain all day, we opted to go to Medieval Times instead. Dan and I have been to Medieval Times several times over the last ten years, but it’s still one of our favorite places to go on special occasions. Sunday afternoon, we drove two hours south to New Jersey and made it there early enough to hang out before the show actually started. (Anyone who’s been to Medieval Times knows that the hour before the show is the best part. You get to hang out in the lobby, take pictures, buy stuff, drink beer, and visit the torture museum.) Dan’s sister went with us and, once there, we met up with a few of Dan’s new coworkers.

The last time we went to Medieval Times was a few years ago, so some things had changed since our previous visit. This made the experience all the better, since there were new things for us to see and do. Once the show actually started, it was the same routine we’ve come to expect and love, so I can honestly say we weren’t disappointed. Especially when, at the end of the tournament, our knight was declared the winner!

Black and White Knight

When we got home that night, we stuck with tradition and pulled out the top tier of our wedding cake, saved in the freezer since our wedding day. (We actually pulled it out that morning so it had time to thaw, but that’s beside the point.) Despite some hesitation and fear of food poisoning, we cut slices for Dan and I, as well as for his sister and parents. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I took the first bite, and…

 Year-Old Wedding Cake

Slice of Cake

…it was pretty gross. The frosting had some freezer burn, the cake was stale, and it tasted very gritty. But despite how bad it might have been, and despite the fact that no one actually finished their piece of cake, I’m still glad we followed through on this tradition. It was fun to see our cake again, and it was a sweet reminder of our actual wedding day.

Thanks again to Ellie-gant Cakes for our wedding cake (which tasted delicious when it was fresh!), and a special thank you to all our friends and family who celebrated with us, or who wished us a happy anniversary!

One Year

Today is me and my husband’s first wedding anniversary. This time last year, I was waking up with butterflies in my stomach, excited and nervous about marrying the man of my dreams. Fortunately, we had a perfect wedding day, which set the tone for our entire marriage thus far.

I can’t believe how fast this past year has gone by, and how much we’ve accomplished in our first twelve months of being husband and wife. Being married has definitely been different than just dating, but in the best way possible. My husband is my best friend and the love of my life, and I’m so lucky to be able to celebrate this special day with him.

* Photo by Marcia Ciriello.

That’s the question being asked most often today, isn’t it?

10 years ago today, I was in 9th grade. As I walked into my 3rd period American History class, my teacher announced that “history is being made right this very moment.” But he wouldn’t elaborate any further, so we went about our usual lesson and didn’t think much of it.

Right before the period ended, one of the hall monitors came into the room and whispered something into the teacher’s ear. She must have been giving him the go ahead to make the announcement, because it was then that he told us: “The twin towers have been hit.”

I don’t remember if the towers had fallen yet at that point, but I do remember walking through the halls in between classes and hearing about other students who were being pulled out of school because they had a relative who worked in the towers. My high school was only about 70 miles from New York City, so it was common for people to commute to the city for work on a daily basis. I even had one classmate whose brother had been on one of the planes.

I spent the rest of the school day in a daze. In some classes, teachers attempted to get through their planned material; in others, we just sat and watched the news for the full 40 minute period.

One of my most distinct memories from that day was walking home from the bus stop and seeing my mother running down the road to meet me, tears in her eyes. We were fortunate in that we didn’t lose anyone we knew personally, but we still mourned along with the rest of the nation as we watched the horrific events unfold again and again on TV.

10 years later, we as a country are still mourning. Though time may pass and people will move on with their lives, America will never forget the heroes and victims of 9/11.

Photo by melifaire.

A Baby Shower

Remember when I announced that my sister was pregnant? It seems like only yesterday, but in fact, it was over three months ago, and now her due date is just over two months away! I can’t wait to meet my new little nephew! (Yes, it’s a boy!) I just want to pinch his fat little cheeks and buy him lots of toys.

We celebrated his impending arrival two weeks ago with a baby shower put together by my sister’s friend Amy. The decorations, the games, the cake, the ingenious centerpieces made from reusable baby items – all done by the fabulous Amy.

While I can’t take credit for much, I did help Amy set things up on the big day, and I’m so pleased with the way everything turned out.

Browse through the photos below, and maybe you’ll be inspired for the next time you need to plan a baby shower!

The Room

Picture 1 of 9

The room, decorated in greens and yellows.
The baby's gender was a surprise!