Friday, October 15, 2010

Ten years ago

Yesterday marked our 10th year wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe that it has been that long. This anniversary seemed to affect me more than any other one.

I found myself reminiscing about the actual date. I wish I could remember where we stored our wedding video. A good friend of ours at the time personally filmed the ceremony. Although, he was not a professional video-grapher, it was such a kind thoughtful gift. It would be nice to re-live the day... and show it to our Little One.

Some of the events / memories of the day, I can still remember like it just happened yesterday. I remember the Hubby looking so pale during rehearsal. In fact, I remember the Best Man telling me after the rehearsal that if the groom is going to faint, that they don’t plan on catching him. I remember that our limo couldn’t fit the whole wedding party as we were driving from the church to a nearby park for pictures. It didn’t bother us… we made everyone squeeze in with us as if it was a big party. I remember that one girl totally knocked another girl in the eye with her elbow in trying to catch the bouquet... or how the DJ came with funny props for The Hubby to wear at various points of the reception. Unfortunately, I remember some of the mistakes that the hotel made in setting up our reception room… such as the tables were set up so that our wedding guests could see our backs rather our faces.

I remember bits and pieces of the ceremony itself, a ceremony that the Hubby wrote himself. I also remember him looking scared for I think he truly believed that I would change into this whole different person once we said “I do”. I also remember that our minister reminded me of Armin Shimerman (the gentleman who played Quark from the TV series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).

I also remember that we were completely sick with a cold that we got from our Best Man as we headed off to our honeymoon to Alaska & Hawaii. We probably could have fended off that cold if it wasn’t for the lack of sleep and partying that took place the days leading up and including the wedding date.

Most of all, I remember looking over the happy faces of our friends and family throughout the ceremony and celebration. I remember the smiles and laughter that filled the room during our reception… especially those that embraced the inner child and played with his/her rainbow slinky (the favors).

I know that we are not where we wanted to be at this time in our lives. During our honeymoon, we had promised to head back to Hawaii and re-live our honeymoon for our 10 year wedding anniversary. Instead, we are finding ourselves going out to dinner and a movie for our anniversary celebration. Marriage is definitely hard work. There is no denying that. Despite the curve balls (or heck, the strike-outs), I think we have lived (and will continue to do so) a good life.

Despite everything, I couldn’t ask for a better partner in life. And, I believe that he feels the same way about me.

So, here’s to another 10 years!

Monday, October 11, 2010

I'm a mother so isn't it my right to brag a bit about my child?

Often I find myself just simply amazed in watching my daughter and what she has learned over the last two years. I know that this is good ol' fashion mother-cheeziness. So, for the most part, I try to keep such thoughts or realizations to myself. I mean, who wants to hear about how one's kid can count to ten... or how she loves to sings with an inflatable microphone. There is only so much cuteness a person can take... especially when you are listening to stories about someone else's kid. I completely understand that!

However, I can't help but brag on how great my daughter did as being a flower girl in "Cinnamon"'s wedding! She walked slowly down the aisle with a big smile on her face as she dropped the petals on the ground. It was wonderful! The Hubby has a theory that the Little One knew how to do it all along and was only pretending during the practice runs to get the attention / treats. Who knows he's probably right!

Here is a picture during her big flower girl debut:



She absolutely loved getting dressed up, having her hair fixed, and having "make-up" put on. (The makeup artist used a clean brush on the Little One's face to make her feel part of the group.) I think I am in trouble for I am not exactly a "girly-girl". I'm not sure how I am going to parent a daughter who is into all this stuff on a daily basis!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Boston

In the midst of a busy social schedule, I’ll get a moment to breathe come November. Sorry that this post is a bit late … I was there back in September.


Personally, I love visiting this city. I can not really put my finger on one particular characteristic that draws me to this city. I love the history… the location… the people. Because of this and a good reason to escape for a day, I suggested this city for a bachelorette party for my dear friend, “Cinnamon”.

However, I must say that it was not really easy to plan such a trip in Boston. I found the nightlife rather limited. I guess Boston is definitely a city that sleeps. Mind you, I wasn’t looking for a place that we could all go and get completely trashed… if we wanted to do that, we would have simply go “bar hopping” in the area they called the “alley”. Nope, we were looking for other forms of entertainment.

Needless to say, we were able to figure out a great weekend for our bride-to-be and the gang. I wanted to give a couple special shout-outs...

  • Cashunt (http://www.cashunt.com/) – Personally, I worked with Chris at Cashunt in an arranging a “Bridal Dash” scavenger hunt during the afternoon. The scavenger hunt targeted a one mile radius circle with the Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market area as its center. It was a pleasure to work with Chris and his team. We split up into two teams and busted our asses to try to be the winning team. Everyone had a great time!! What was also great was that I got to participate in the competition even though I am the person who helped set it up. There was only one out of the six categories that I (and the bride) had to excuse ourselves. I highly recommend this activity and this company!
  • Atlantic Fish Company (http://www.atlanticfishco.com/) – This restaurant came highly recommend on a variety of sites. Our party went there for a very delicious seafood dinner. The staff was professional and courteous. They didn’t even give our bride a second glance when she walked into the restaurant in full bachelorette regalia. The food was phenomenal! I definitely plan on going back there again if I find myself in Boston again!
We also went to Dick Doherty’s Beantown Comedy Vault for some laughs. I must admit that I was a bit nervous when we arrived at the joint. It really looked kind of sketchy / dirty / small. The comedy acts that they put together were pretty decent. I honestly didn’t mind that our table was right next to the stage. Although, it would have been a lot more comfortable for me if our table was at least another ½ foot away from the stage. I ended up sitting in the chair closest to the stage. I knew that I would be an easy target for the comedians (which I didn’t mind) … However, it was hard to sit and be comfortable while watching them with my chair so close. I think I would go to the comedy club again… but request a table further from the stage.

The party / road trip has come and gone. I believe that everyone had a great time. We have some great pictures and memories from the weekend. What more could you ask for in a bachelorette party?