2 years: Married

In the midst of our baby/life changing induced haze, we realized our two year wedding anniversary was approaching. We wanted to do something fun. We discussed going to Chattanooga, TN or Greenville, SC. Or staying in town. We debated do we get a babysitter or not?

In the end, we vetoed it all. In light of our love for big celebrations, we went simple instead. We decided to go back to where this all started. We went back to the coffee shop where we had our first date. It was Ben's suggestion, his idea. And I loved it...he KNOWS I love all things sentimental.

2.5 years ago, we were nervous as we met each other for coffee. I rambled on and on about stupid things that he still remembers word-for-word even now. On Saturday, we pushed a stroller into that quaint coffee shop. Over coffee and cookies, we spent time reminiscing...very much in awe, that this time around, we were celebrating marriage. It was fun. 

Afterwards, we pressed "pause" on our evening as we changed diapers and fed Madden.

Then, we made our way to the restaurant where we celebrated our engagement with friends and family. We talked, and laughed, and in general, enjoyed opportunity to celebrate.

I've said it before, but I think it should be repeated. I love being married to Ben. He is such a hard working, focused and determined man. He has a big heart. He makes me laugh, hard and frequently. We may fight, but we always strive towards and arrive at reconciliation. We've faced difficulties, but we've learned to overcome them. I am looking forward to the next 60+ years with him.

Baby-Moon

Ben and I spent Labor Day weekend in Destin, FL. We wanted a pre-baby trip to take place before I got too big and before the baby got here too...(okay, okay, I'm already HUGE, but you hopefully understand what I'm saying!)

The night before we left, I told Ben that I had been watching the weather on weather.com which told me that a little thing called a HURRICANE was heading toward Destin, FL the same weekend as us. Ben's reply: "Honey, there is a ONE PERCENT chance that it will actually rain while we are at the beach." 

Well, it actually turned out to be ONE HUNDRED PERCENT rain THE ENTIRE TIME WE WERE THERE.

Aside of the rain, here are some highlights of the weekend:

Restuarants:

Another Broken Egg Cafe: We had breakfast on the first day here. The food was good and plentiful, but we did get our card declined...only because the waitress ran our debit card 9 times! We thankfully caught the mistake, but it was still a little disturbing and definitely overshadowed our experience. 

Acme Oyster House: They serve a specialty called "char-grilled oysters"; apparently Ben had them 5 years prior and has been dreaming of them ever since. Honestly, they were so good. But so unique too.

Fudpuckers: You definitely go there more for the experience, than the food. They have a TON of baby alligators that you can feed and hold. I passed on that experience; instead, Ben and I spent our conversation discussing all the signatures and messages of past patrons. The classic ones were "Lucy loves Joe" or "Erica and Jon 4ever"....which led to the great question: how awkward would it be if Lucy and Joe or Erica and Jon are no longer together, but they go BACK with their new significant others and those new significant others see their little message???

Hammerheads/Poppy Seafood Factory: We spent our last night dining at this place. We sat outdoors, under a pavilion listening to the live music and watching the rain fall. The food was good; Ben kept calling the food "REAL seafood".

And the rain kept pouring...Of course, I continued to ask Ben about that ONE PERCENT chance. 

Instead of going to the beach, we did the following:

- We got pedicures. Both Ben and I. Honestly, pedicures are one of my favorite things EVER. And, it is so much fun to get a pedicure WITH Ben.

- We spent a considerable amount of time at Barnes and Nobles. I bought a book.

- We slept. A lot. It was blissful.

We did venture to the beach - the few times it wasn't raining - to watch the waves. It was incredible to see how forceful and strong the waves were.

In the end, perhaps it wasn't the most ideal vacation. It rained. And rained. And rained. But, we did have a lot of fun. We enjoyed the slower pace and the forced-ability to rest and relax. Overall, it was wonderful.

PS - Am I the only one to recently hear the term "baby-moon"? I found it hysterical and I have been looking for opportunities to use it.

Valentine's Day 2011

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I think Ben is the best...in particular, the BEST at gifts and surprises and all around, making my life lovely. He definitely keeps getting better and better. No doubt about it. You also know - if you follow my blog - I'm kinda a go-big-or-go-home type of girl. I want the extravagant celebration, the incredible surprise, and the drain-your-wallet experience. No doubt about it.

Our anniversary is in December. December. In the midst of holidays, parties, friends, families, traditions, shopping, etc...we have to squeeze in "Don't-forget-to-celebrate-our-anniversary". That is exhausting. So, for our first anniversary, we split it up. We did part 1 (Nutcracker Ballet)...and this past weekend, we mixed in part 2 with Valentine's Day. Part 2 met my expectations, and definitely showed that once again, my man has got some SERIOUS skillz.

Part 2 = BAHAMAS.

We went on a cruise. Just Ben and I. For 3 days. It was fast, but it was needed. We had zero cell phone service (which I love!). A lot of time to talk. A lot of time to sleep. And, our personal favorite, (but you didn't hear it from me) a lot of time to people watch and people mock. It was glorious.

I was the ultimate tourist - I brought two cameras with me. Ben was the ultimate planner - we did a lot of fun things (Bahamas beach, fun restaurants, a little bit of time spent in the casino, hot tub, karaoke, trivia, bingo, fun shows, and good food). We had fun. It was relaxing. We laughed. We reconnected. We enjoyed no responsibilities.

Here are some pictures of our fun times:

(first set of pictures taken with my awesome Polariod Camera - another great gift from Ben!)

The sign that welcomed us.

A window-side view of our surroundings.

My attempt to play a slot machine. (Should brought a book! ha!)

Ben at the casino - he was actually really good. Who knew?!?

Our Cruise Countdown.

The Housewives of Nassau table. They were among our favorites to people-watch.

Old-school myspace mirror/formal picture.

The beautiful beach

The other couples we had dinner with each night - they were so much fun!

Our taxi ride to the beach.

The beach, the clear water - it was incredible.

The food was incredible. But, this is the only picture to show for it.

The end.

Sometimes For Your Marriage...

....you stay up 'til 3am to resolve differences.  

Sometimes only because your love for your spouse surpasses your pride in being right. 

This was Ben and I just last night. It made our marriage stronger and better...

Yes, I'm tired, but it was SO worth it.

Year Old Cake

Part of our Anniversary celebration was tasting our wedding cake.

Yep. That year-old thing.

We had been told that sometimes it isn't good. That after a year, its is freezer burner and just all-around NASTY.

On our wedding day

Not our cake. Thankfully, my mother-in-law kept the cake in her freezer. Thank-goodness SOMEONE thought to take care of the cake. :)

This is how we had in the freezer. (minus the plate)

Do you see the frost?

Right before we took our first bit - a year later! With milk, of course!

Ben's first bite in action!

My pre-first bite!

Oh my goodness. I cannot even believe it. That cake is so good. It is not dried out, or freezer burnt. It was DELICIOUS! Has anyone else had any good one-year-old wedding cake stories?

It's Been A Year.

It started off crazy.

Ben woke up with news that our flight had been canceled. A blizzard was the cause of the cancellation of our honeymoon flight. He spent the hours leading up to our wedding ceremony re-planning our honeymoon. From scratch.

Our wedding ceremony might have seemed more like an elopement watched by our closest friends and dear family. 12 minutes tops. It was hysterical. If you were 15 minutes late, you missed it.

We got married after knowing each other for 7 months. 

Wedding Day 2009. Tupelo Photography

Regardless of the hysterical mishaps...it has been a year. Ben and I celebrate our ONE YEAR anniversary today. It doesn't seem possible. A year.

A year later: 2010. Mars Studio

It's been a crazy year. But, we have loved every moment. We've laughed. We've cried. We've fought. We've forgave. We've made a lot of funny memories. We've made memories. We've grown. We've weathered change of jobs, change of our home place. We've accomplished goals...we've achieved dreams. But the best? We've done it together. As husband and wife.

I love being Ben's wife. There is absolutely nothing like waking up in the middle of the night to feel Ben pull me close...to hear his panic when I yelp in the kitchen because of all the times I "almost" cut myself...No one else can make me laugh at silly jokes like Ben...No one else make my heart feel like it is going to explode because it is overwhelmed by love. Simply said, I love him.

It's been a great 1st year! I'm excited to see what this next year brings with Ben. 

Our First Date

Dear Ben,

I could write and tell the world of our first date. That Monday before I graduated. The one that last 6-8 hours. The one where I was early because I was nervous. And you were nervous because you liked me. I could also recall that gazebo-sittin' conversation, when I told you I never made it past the second date. And you told me you liked me. The one that included Mexican food, conversation about our families, music and many other important first date conversations. The one that ended with a hug you gave, and how I panicked and cringed when you did. Remember that? Our first date?

But, today, lets remember this: how you brought me flowers yesterday. How I scared you half-to-death because I cut my finger while cooking dinner. How you proclaimed you never knew I could cook so well after we loved every bite of these wonderful things.

A year after our first date and 4 and 1/2 months of marriage, I love you. More. More than I ever thought possible.

Love you,

Bethany

PS - if you love reading about married couples who work hard at their marriage, look no further than Today's Letters.

The Beginning

A year ago today...

It was my senior year of college. The last day of class...just days before graduation. It was raining. Again. And, I was paranoid about my hair frizzing up like a white-girl afro. I slipped into chapel, quickly immersed by my friends. From across the expansive auditorium, I saw him.

It was a perfect movie moment. I gasped. And lost my train of thought as I stared at one beautiful man. My friend, Regan, shook me. "Bethany? What happened?" She paused. "Where is he?"

I was never one to notice a man's looks. Honest! I was notorious for walking past dozens of  "drop-dead gorgeous" men and never noticing them. Ever. I had tunnel vision and it wasn't on them. Except that day. When I couldn't stop staring at that hottie-of-a-male-specimen.

He was my student. I was his Admissions Counselor. To my friends, to my boss, it was a little bit of a scandal. But he was soo crushing on me. And, I knew it. And, I was...shall we say? "My interest was piqued."

When he came into his Admissions meeting that afternoon, I suspected he'd ask me out. Regan had already give him a campus tour, and I had slipped into her dorm room afterwards to get the scoop on this man. She nodded her at-first-glance approval.

Our meeting lasted an hour. One long hour of me trying to still my heart and shoo away the singular thought I kept having: What would it be like to kiss this man?

He eventually said something like, "We should hang out. You know, since you will be here all summer."  I thought he meant when he started college, in August. "Sure" I stumbled out. (Okay, okay, so I don't take the most obvious "do you wanna go out" hints)

Then he left. But, that wasn't the end. That was only the beginning.

Today, one year ago today, Ben and I met. Finally. Face-to-face after months of phone calls as I guided him through the Admissions process.

Today, one year later, my husband and I are going to celebrate that first meeting. And, why not? It changed our lives. For the best.

Who doesn't love a good love story? Well, I'm going to share ours as we hit each monumental day. I hope ya'll are ready...