Posts Tagged ‘Love’

Three Whole Years

Tonight the husband and I are celebrating our third wedding anniversary. At this time three years ago, we were melting in the Bakersfield sun, probably still exchanging our vows (our officiant decided to speak forever). Over the past three years a lot has changed: we moved to a whole new location, got new jobs, continued our education, and grew up a lot. We comfortably fell into married life. I attempted a number of recipes, some successful, some Cale rescued, and some ended up in the garbage. We’ve vacationed. We’ve enjoyed the day to day. We’ve played soccer, golf, table tennis, finished triathlons. We’ve started gym memberships. Cancelled gym memberships. We’ve gone on hikes. We’ve taken late night drives to get milkshakes. We’ve taken late night drives just to see deer in our neighborhood. We’re constantly figuring out the day to day, and I’m glad I have such a great partner right with me.

Three years seems like such a long time, and if you count the five years we dated before getting married, it’s hard for me to imagine my life without Cale. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Happy anniversary babe.

Happy New Year from Those Old Boring Corwins

We’re so freaking exciting.

It is 2010. This past New Year’s Eve, instead of waiting for all our computers to explode from Y2K, we were all just so relieved to leave 2009 in the dust. Cale and I decided to celebrate in a more low-key way: by watching random TLC shows about the super-obese and primordial dwarfs, while drinking hot chocolate (the fancy kind on the side of the Hershey’s can) spiked with Bailey’s. So for those who are so anxious to hang out, be warned, we are not exciting. In fact, it’s official we’re boring.

It was so mundane, that I didn’t even realize that we were embarking on a new decade. Or that just ten years earlier, we were entering a new century. And then I remembered what I had been doing ten years ago.

me: “Babe do you remember what you were doing ten years ago?”

Cale: “No.”

me: “Really you don’t? Not even a little?”

Cale: “No.”

me: *pouts*

Cale: Hanging out with you?

me: YES!

Well Cale wasn’t anxious to stroll with me down memory lane, but ten years ago, Cale and I were spending New Year’s together! I had totally forgotten. If you haven’t been a reader for long, I posted a couple years back about “our beginning”. It started in 1998 as friends, and we were shortly boyfriend and girlfriend from 1999 to 2000. Well, as much as you can be boyfriend and girlfriend at fifteen years old. That New Year’s Eve, my childhood neighborhood threw a new years eve block party complete with bounce house and barbecue. And Cale was there. I vaguely remember the night, and I don’t even know if he was allowed to stay until midnight (most likely not). But how fun it is to know that ten years ago, we were just two teenagers running around a cul-de-sac with my neighbors, eating food, and jumping around the bounce house when the little kids left.

Here’s to many more New Years together and to actually making plans next year. The way we spent it this year was just plain embarrassing.

Wedded Bliss

I logged into TheKnot the other day to look for “must have” photo lists. Woah the memories that came flooding back. It proudly announced how many days I’ve been married now (775, in case you’re curious). Told me I had one more item on my to-do list (sending out the thank you notes, which we did do a long long time ago, and I proudly checked it off finally). I clicked through the many saved photos and articles that I’d read all that time ago. A lot of people get really stressed out planning their wedding, and while I did experience some stress, all I can remember is how excited I was. I loved planning our wedding because afterward we would finally be married. So while it was not a magazine wedding, it was the wedding of my dreams, and I loved it all even with the little imperfections.

Today I’m photographing Cale’s friend’s wedding, and Cale is officiating. It also happens to be the day where the blogosphere is throwing Miss Renee a virtual bridal shower. Am I the only one feeling so warm and fuzzy with all the love? It so touching to see people getting geared up before their wedding. It brings me back to all the anticipation that I experienced before ours. Last night Cale and I sat down and watched our wedding video. Yep, we’re that couple. We ooze in our own lovey-dovey-ness.

Now over two years since we’ve been married I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Maybe even faster had I known back then how truly awesome my husband is. I had no idea how often he would step it up in the kitchen. Or how much of a deep thinker he is during his down time around the house. Or how often he would bring me flowers. Or how he would be there to stand by me one hundred percent of the time. So when I see couples in those weeks before their weddings, I have to hold back. Otherwise I would be proclaiming in their faces: If you let it, this will be the best step in your lives. You are in for something so amazing. Such closeness with your spouse that you have never yet experienced. Enjoy it.

Because if it’s one thing I do clearly remember before my wedding was I did not enjoy the unsolicited advice.

775 days married. And clearly very happy.

Renee, enjoy the short time left before your wedding, but don’t worry it only gets better from there. <3

The post where I bombard you with stuff so that you don’t give me a hard time for not writing

Well hi.

So if you thought I died in Vegas..

You were about half right.

I got back from Vegas with an occasional *cough cough*. You know, those dainty little coughs that come and go.

Well fast forward to last Tuesday, and I was like *COUGH URGGGGJROOOTHSKG COUGH* Phlegm everywhere. Eyes crossed. Fever. Kill me now. That kind of sick. And from there I went into a Nyquil-induced coma whence I emerged today. I dragged my booty back to work, resisted my urges to ram my car into the other lane during my morning commute, because clearly a broken leg or two wouldn’t be as bad as coming into work when I still am battling a chest cold and when my body decided that four days of 20 hours of sleep wasn’t enough because oh-my-goodness I’m still exhausted.

During this coma, I managed to sleep my way through our 2 year anniversary. A day when usually I would write an adorable post about how much I love my husband and we’re meant to be, with butterflies and doves fluttering about. Instead my anniversary will forever be marked by:

but my husband brought me jamba juice, crackers, cake, gatorade, and now getting me french fries. Exactly why we’re been married for 2 years
9:54 PM Jun 10th from Tweetie

There you go, the mark of a wonderful marriage: a husband who indulges your horrendous sick-person-appetite with whatever it is you’re craving because otherwise you’d just rather starve.

Luckily we did celebrate our anniversary properly while in Vegas a few weekends ago. A weekend that involved room service of Jalapeno poppers and Champagne, my first Bloody Mary with breakfast of course, a mani/pedi for me, getting outfitted by a seriously awesome Gap employee, fabulously fancy Chinese food at Fin, the front row at the Beatles LOVE, and Cale doubling up his gambling money before left for our flight home. The Beatles LOVE was AMAZING. I cried. We bonded with the other Beatles-obsessed woman sitting next to us. I almost died from the Blackbird flying 2 inches above my head. It was worth every single penny. Actually, it was worth the entire trip.

The next weekend I flew back to Vegas for a weekend of fun with bloggers. Some I read, some I didn’t. My pre-Vegas-cram-session of reading blogs didn’t end up happening. But by the end of the trip, my faith in humanity was restored. I’m most certainly the textbook definition of an introvert, so flying to Vegas where I did not know a single person “in real life” was without-a-doubt frightening. I was ready to back out. I was literally talking myself up until I was seated in the airplane. I got there and all my anxiety was gone the moment I walked into wishcake’s and my hotel room, helped myself to her wine, and waited for them to come meet me. Everyone was just as nice as I imagined, multiplied by five hundred. I felt a little behind because I missed the group dinner with all the introductions, but spent the weekend meeting everyone and having a good time. I always knew I could stalk their name and other details I missed when I got home. I concentrated on having fun during the short time we had together. It was truly a life-altering experience. I had sunshine paired with a Bud Light at the Luxor pool, amazing pasta at Mario Batali’s, cheap wine at Zefferino, and a tall margarita-dacquiri-something-who-cares-it-was-delicious at the Mirage. There were tons of laughs the entire time. I now know that I have friends all over the United States with whom could have a fabulous time. At any time. And who I fully expect to see next year because we must do this again. And it makes me despise the fact that I’m not called “Steph Corwin” in my “real life”.

Some of the many girls that are my new BFFs. Photo courtesy of the talented and sweet Elizabeth

As if my life hasn’t been exhausting enough, this weekend I am ecstatic to go to Bakersfield to meet my new little brother and sister-in-law, who were born the day Cale and I got back from Vegas. They are both healthy and at home with Cale’s dad and wife. The little boy looks like Cale and his dad, which just makes me so gushy and happy. I am looking forward to spending the entire day trading off holding them and taking pictures of them.

That’s my life in a nutshell. I’m sad that I’ve been out-of-commission the past few days, but if you want to know some good shows to watch while you are sick: Californication and United States of Tara. Though during my bouts of unconsciousness, I did end up having some pretty crazy dreams filled with sex, drugs, and tattoos, most certainly thanks to watching two entire seasons of Californication in the span of two days. Entertaining to say the least.