You know sometimes, Valentine’s Day is A-Ok with me. J surprised me with a beautiful dozen roses this morning and a heartfelt handwritten note (way better than a Hallmark card). He even lit candles! Hope all you lovebirds out there have a magical day! We’ve got plans to go hiking and go out to dinner at one of our fave restaurants in Westwood. Yum!
Sorry the pic is a little dim – the drapes were closed, my camera battery is dead, and my phone can only do so much with what it’s got.
I’m all filled with lovey-dovey butterflies and happiness today. Nothing can get me down. You know why? Six months ago this very day, I was preparing for the biggest and most beautiful day of my life so far – our wedding! Time has seriously FLOWN by and I really wish I could just press pause on our busy lives and enjoy this first year for all it’s worth, but I think we’re doing a great job so far. We’ve got a new house, exciting careers, loving families, fabulous friends, and so much to look forward to in the future. The definition of blessed, I’d say, and I couldn’t be happier.
To the love of my life - happy half-year anniversary!
P.S. I know I have a poor track record, but today IS in fact, our six month anniversary.
I was completely moved by this visual love story of Danny and Annie, two elderly Brooklynites completely & totally in love. Their interviews about their 27 year romance were publicly broadcast the same day Danny died of terminal cancer. Incredibly sad, but at the same time, profoundly inspiring to anyone who has a special someone in their life. For me, it makes me want to be a better wife, a better sister, a better friend, a better daughter. It makes me want to cherish the little things more, to create our own unique little everyday rituals and traditions, and to never forget to be eternally grateful that I found someone who makes me feel so loved every single day.
And I’m just saying now – you’ll probably cry watching this. So grab some tissues!
Today I’m cheating. And by that I mean I’m reposting something written by someone else, because quite honestly, she (Deena Munsamy) says it better than I ever could and you really don’t need me chiming in with more input.
Three-Word Phrases, can be tools to help develop every relationship.
There are many things that you can do to strengthen your relationships. Often the most effective thing you can do involves saying just three words. When spoken sincerely, these statements often have the power to develop new friendships, deepen old ones and even bring healing to relationships that have soured.
The following three-word phrases can be tools to help develop every relationship.
~ Let me help:
Good friends see a need and then try to fill it. When they see a hurt they do what they can to heal it. Without being asked, they jump in and help out.
~ I understand you:
People become closer and enjoy each other more when the other person accepts and understands them. Letting your spouse know – in so many little ways – that you understand them, is one of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. And this can apply to any relationship.
~ I respect you:
Respect is another way of showing love. Respect demonstrates that another person is a true equal. If you talk to your children as if they were adults you will strengthen the bonds and become closer friends. This applies to all interpersonal relationships.
~ I miss you:
Perhaps more marriages could be saved and strengthened if couples simply and sincerely said to each other “I miss you.” This powerful affirmation tells partners they are wanted, needed, desired and loved. Consider how important you would feel, if you received an unexpected phone call from your spouse in the middle of your workday, just to say “I miss you.”
~ Maybe you’re right:
This phrase is very effective in diffusing an argument. The implication when you say “maybe you’re right” is the humility of admitting, “maybe I’m wrong”. Let’s face it. When you have an argument with someone, all you normally do is solidify the other person’s point of view. They, or you, will not likely change their position and you run the risk of seriously damaging the relationship between you. Saying “maybe you’re right” can open the door to explore the subject more. You may then have the opportunity to express your view in a way that is understandable to the other person.
~ Please forgive me:
Many broken relationships could be restored and healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong, which is saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.
~ I thank you:
Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don’t take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand, people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not have the attitude of gratitude.
~ Count on me:
A friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship. It is the emotional glue that bonds people. Those that are rich in their relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles come, a good friend is there indicating “you can count on me.”
~ I’ll be there:
If you have ever had to call a friend in the middle of the night, to take a sick child to hospital, or when your car has broken down some miles from home, you will know how good it feels to hear the phrase “I’ll be there.” Being there for another person is the greatest gift we can give. When we are truly present for other people, important things happen to them and us.
We are renewed in love and friendship. We are restored emotionally and spiritually. Being there is at the very core of civility.
~ Go for it:
We are all unique individuals. Don’t try to get your friends to conform to your ideals. Support them in pursuing their interests, no matter how far out they seem to you. God has given everyone dreams, dreams that are unique to that person only.
Support and encourage your friends to follow their dreams. Tell them to “go for it.”
~ I love you:
Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person’s deepest emotional needs. The need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be wanted. Your spouse, your children, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words: “I love you.” Love is a choice. You can love even when the feeling is gone.
This morning while driving to the office, I was listening to the radio (yes, the radio! Heaven forbid) and heard something that made me kind of sad and disappointed. This man called into Ryan Seacrest’s radio show for some relationship advice about his wife. First of all, I have my suspicions about unmarried Ryan Seacrest being the best choice for marriage counsel, but that’s beside the point. The caller described his plaguing issue with his wife quite simply: “She NEVER. STOPS. TALKING.” He described his wife’s chatty nature and went on and on about how he can’t find a spare 15 minutes of solace without having her commentary. Even while watching TV, this man’s wife sits beside him, weighing in on what people were wearing, what so and so just said, basically anything that entered her brain comes out of her mouth. Understandably, this man just couldn’t take it and needed some advice STAT. Hey, we all need a little peace and quiet, right? Right.
So what did Ryan suggest this man do about his talkative wife? He said, and I quote, “give her busy work. Send her to a baking class. Give her challenges.”
Really?! So when our spouse is a little too much for us to deal with at times we just send them away? This is his WIFE, not his curious two year old! I feel for this poor woman, who despite her talkative nature (which I share), at least deserves the respect of having her husband sit down and say “Honey, I have to talk to you about something that’s been bothering me.” No one wants to hear their husband tell them to “Shut up” but I think any woman would prefer to have an open line of communication about things that are bothersome rather than ignoring the situation and “putting her to work to quiet her down.”
Aside from having a genuine heart-to-heart, it sounds like this couple also might benefit from a little therapy together, but, oh – the husband is against that because it would “cost too much and she’ll just talk more.”
Healthy relationships at their best. Thanks Ryan!
I know I’m a newlywed and have a lot to learn about marriage, but something about this totally set off a red flag inside. Anyone else think this advice is completely ridiculous, or is it just me?
For all of you who have been bugging me about posting wedding photos, I’m sorry but you’ll have to wait. I could post some of the ones my family and friends have tagged on Facebook, but I prefer to wait until our incredible photographer Jason Connel is done with his magic official photos to really share them with the world.
But, to hold you over, check out these adorbs engagement photos he shot for us just a couple days before the wedding in Hillsboro Village, Nashville. That’s right, you can totally wait until your wedding is hours away before taking engagement pics. They’re a little small on the blog, but you can click to enlarge.
Don’t we look so happy and relaxed? And just think, moments before the shoot I was on the verge of tears/a nervous breakdown.
One of my favorites.
This was my idea
Awkward moment: the girls who owned these bikes came to get them as we were posing with them… oops!
Fido!
This really happened… one of Julian’s fans recognized him while we were shooting. I am used to playing “fan photographer” by now.
Which one is your favorite?!
Okay, just one actual wedding photo for fun:
Jason is Houston-based, but travels often, so if you’re in the market for a fantabulous photog, definitely give him a holler. He’s talented and will make you laugh during those awkward photos. You won’t be disappointed!
JULIAN: it’s kind of hard for me to do these dishes with this cut on my finger – it stings if i do it without a bandage, and with the bandage, it just falls apart. i already had to redo it once. i got a bunch of the dishes done earlier though – before i cut my finger.
No, it doesn’t include a forgotten anniversary, though both Julian and I have been guilty of this one on more than one occasion. My ultimate anniversary fail is a little more idiotic than that.
“Six months of happiness,” or so the Facebook photo caption says.
So I’m sitting here, penciling in a double dinner date with our friends Tracy and Matt for next week when I realize it might be a good time to start writing in our “monthiversaries.” You know, “happy seven months!” and what not. Yeah, we haven’t even been together a year yet. We did have a quite memorable six month anniversary back in November, complete with an overpriced dinner at a trendy LA restaurant, 3D movie at the theatre we went to on one of our first dates, flowers that cost more than a month’s groceries and a bottle of the perfume that reminds Julian of the first time he met me. So cute.
I was using that special date as a marker and started filling in the “eight month anniversary,” “nine month anniversary,” etc. on the 13th of every subsequent month. Until I got to 12 months. A full month (or two) ahead of our year anniversary, June 13, 2010. Had I missed a month? Flipped through my planner wrong? Everything seemed to check out.
Until I went back a little further, and realized that Julian and I had our big, fancy, expensive, romantic six month anniversary celebration on our five month anniversary.
What a couple of dorks. Who forgets how long they’ve been together not even five full months into a relationship? Granted, I do feel like I have known Julian my whole life and can’t believe it’s only been seven and a half months since we started officially dating (that is an accurate number, I triple-checked), but aren’t girls supposed to be somewhat obsessive over anniversaries and dates of this nature? Even in past relationships, I’ve always known exactly how long it has been. Why now? I guess I’m so head-over-heels that I can’t even tell time. Looks like I picked the right guy!
It’s been a wild couple of weeks, but undoubtedly some of the happiest days I can ever remember. What is it about being newly engaged that makes you feel like you’re walking around in a dream? I feel like my head is in the clouds surrounded by little cartoon hearts. I’m back in LA, without my darling (who is still in Nashville working on some music stuff), but with plenty of catching up to keep me busy and my mind off of missing him!
The time I spent in Nashville was divine – I’m so thankful I had the chance to spend a week and a half of (mostly) uninterrupted time with my future family-in-law and all of Julian’s friends, some of whom I will know the rest of my life. So many great moments, I don’t even know where to start. The southern food, naps on the chaise lounge, Jenesis braiding my entire head of hair, wearing onesies on Christmas morning, massages on the stairs, the great folks at Eastgate CCF, looking back on baby books and love notes from new mothers, kissing my sweetheart at midnight on New Years, countless trips to Starbucks, window shopping in various Nashville malls, getting ready with Jeorgi in the bathroom and buying/cutting my own “man pants”, perusing bridal books and magazines with Kayla (also newly-engaged), awesome conversations with grandparents who have more wisdom than I could ever hope to, ice skating, laughing my face off with Julian’s siblings, watching them spontaneously write and play a full-band version of the Power Rangers theme, cuddling his stinking adorable nephews, even the pathetic snow flurries that were falling when Julian dropped me at the terminal on Monday morning.
My flight back was uneventful, always a good thing, except for the fact that airport security confiscated my brand new jar of (heavenly) Loveless Cafe peach preserves. I was planning on giving them to Lauren, who generously drove to LA from Pasadena everyday of my absence to feet Fatterson 1 and Fatterson 2, but instead, she just got a thing of biscuit mix. Merry Christmas, Lauren!
The first day back at work was busy, but not totally nightmare-ish, a lot of catch-up meetings and returning e-mails. Now I’m here at home, repainting my nails (of course) and waiting for my girl Francesca’s flight to get in from NYC. Because I’m a good friend, I offered to pick her up from the airport … even if it is arriving at 2:00am. So now I have to make the decision…. coffee? Or nap?
At least I have PLENTY to think about while I’m waiting – who knew wedding planning was such a huge task? Or shall I say, 4140371 mini tasks?! I’ve only been engaged a week and I’m already overwhelmed by the questions, the suggestions, the requests for me to tell the proposal story over and over again. I guess it’s a part of the entire experience – after all, this only happens once! I guess I should savor every moment of it. That being said, I have a few things in mind for what I want, but there is still much up in the air. I’m more looking forward to actually being married to the love of my life. This is without a doubt the HAPPIEST time of my life.
Sorry, you’ll have to forgive my abundance of barfalicious gushiness. I am just… well, if you’ve ever been engaged, you know what I mean. If not, you will understand one day!
ALRIGHT, I’ll cool it. Now that my holiday break is over, I’ll be returning to my regular blogging schedule. But one last thing before I get back to my DVR for the evening (that I must enjoy now before I get rid of my cable TV) – I am very proud to say that I managed to finish another book in my never ending stack! The Shack was awesome. I’m also working my way through C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity and The Millionaire Next Door audiobook. So much great info in that last one.. well, both, to be honest. Highly recommended.
Wonderful, you found my blog! I'm Sarah, a writer, runner, RVT student, believer, lover of pretty things (and cats.) I'm also a newlywed, which I'm finding quite enjoyable. To learn more about me, just click here. I hope my blog brings you a little bit (or a lotta bit) of happiness today.
They’re a little small on the blog, but you can click to enlarge.
