monday's memory: mr & mrs, a year later

so a year and a week ago, we were getting married.
weird

and then last week on monday, we had been married a year
even weirder

when people have asked me how married life is this past year 

(and there have been a LOT of those people asking that question)

i always have said "i finally feel normal. like this is how it's supposed to be."

and that may not be a glowing recommendation of marriage

or the warm fuzzy newlywed right thing to say

but this us? this is RIGHT. 

i have no other ways to say it
except to repeat a few of the words i said to anthony the day of our wedding as we exchanged vows

"I think my deepest joy on this day

Is that from now on…

I get to experience LIFE with you"

and i love this life we share :-)

our actual anniversary: zoo, buying books for each other, yummy dinner

and cutting into the top layer of our still-amazing-tasting wedding cake :-)

thursday's ten or so: in which i attempt to explain my absence

things i have been up to instead of blogging:

transitions. two jobs ending (one naturally because a child goes to school and another by choice to leave a very unhealthy environment) and two jobs beginning in place of them. the quite lovely thing is that i have been working at minimum 60 hours per week for the last...years? i totaled up the hours that i will be working now and it's almost normal--in the 40-50 hours range. i could cry with joy. for serious.

catching up on dvr'd shows. natasha and i have a weekly date to watch some of them, but the others are watched whenever a chance occurs.

pinning. like crazy!

paying it forward. we had so many people who were generous with time and resources during our wedding prep. i have two girlfriends getting married within a month of each other (last weekend and then in june) so i am trying to make myself as available to them as i can!

coming up with some jewelry design ideas. i would like to open my etsy store again, and am trying to come up with some new and different stuff. on that note, anything you would like to see?

organizing. from the pantry to my iPhoto libraries. i love it. but it is a bit time-consuming since, well, i'm me.  :-)

missing writing/blogging. i think about posts often.  they just never seem to materialize.  hopefully as transition continues to a more livable schedule, that will change. i miss this place!

working in the yard. since i actually enjoy mowing, that comes to me most weeks...plus i have a fledgling garden that i'm trying to protect from the neighborhood bunnies. anthony laughs at me constantly for being in battle with a bunny.  ha!

juicing.  i got a free juicer a few months ago and its definitely been appreciated and used! i'll post some of my favorites here soon.  :-)

monday's memory: the one with the bachelorette party

have i mentioned that i have amazing friends?
and they throw a pretty kick-awesome party.

my maid of honor asked if i wanted to know what she was planning or if i wanted to be surprised.  i told her i trusted her completely, that they could use our house if need be, and the dates i was free.

that was IT.

since she was temporarily living a few states away, she recruited the other girls to help with the planning and execution.  to this date, i don't know whose idea was what, so just know...my girls ROCK.

on the day of the party, i was asked to be out of the house for the majority of the afternoon, and to stay in communication with the girls on my way home.  they literally came and met me in the driveway with a homemade iced coffee, and blindfolded me.

i was led upstairs (i'll spare you all the butt shots of this part) where i was able to change clothes and get ready (they also brought me some champagne...the beverages kept flowing so i was entertained and happy!) plus, the girls had to change and get ready too, so i was soon joined upstairs

at one point there were four girls in my master bathroom putting on makeup together.  and one pissed-off kitty hiding from the mayhem!

the girls then disappeared down the stairs, and eventually i was led out of my bedroom.

i walked down the stairs and immediately was told to remove my boots

and given bracelets to put on

oh, and i had a "veil" to wear the entire evening.

the downstairs area of the house had been transformed

all furniture was covered in colorful fabric, and extra seating had been created along the window with huge throw pillows.

i even had a "throne" complete with canopy.

there was an amazing food table spread with all sorts of yummy looking things.

they had even incorporated anthony's glass animals into the decor, including this very hungry hippo!

people started gathering in, and once most people were there we were invited to dig in to the buffet.  it was then i realized that these girls who know me so well had brought nearly all the food at my favorite grocery -- trader joe's.  unfortunately, i discovered a couple of new favorite foods that night that are now staples!

we milled around, snacked and chatted for awhile and then i began opening gifts.  i'll leave out the details there, but you can imagine...

gift time was interrupted by the arrival of "someone"...which was my only moment of slight panic.

but the person walked in and immediately started handing out scarves.  she was a belly dance instructor, and that's what we spent the next bit of the party doing -- learning a few belly dance basics!

 and took time for some group shots.  fun group of awesome ladies!

she was amazing, and fun.  now that laura (my maid of honor) is back in town we have mad plans to start taking her classes a couple of times a month.  a fitness class that anthony supports fully, haha!

three of the girls stayed overnight, so there was much more fun (and other crazy late-night photos) to be had even after most of the guests left.

all in all my bachelorette party was exactly what i wanted -- time spent with amazing girls, and lots of laughter.  the gifts were amazing (and all fit!), but the time spent with these girls who i dearly love was the best part of the night.