Three years ago ...

Three years ago, I woke up ridiculously early. And I made several close friends and family members wake up ridiculously early, too. I paid a woman to put brightly colored curlers in my hair, then I walked around with the curlers and let people take pictures of me. (It was obviously the mimosa taking charge.)

Three years ago, I depended on the help of friends and family - as well as their presence and support - to make the day perfect. (Mother Nature and our crap photographer didn't get the memo, but the friends and family totally delivered.)

Three years ago, we stood before our friends and family. The pastor, a friend of ours, had prepared an amazing ceremony - one that made me want to laugh and cry.

Three years ago, we were surrounded by some of our favorite people (and they were all matchy-matchy, too!) for the big event. The group was quite diverse, but all of them are special to us and remain a part of our life today.

Three years ago, we entered a room together for the first time as husband and wife. (I'm pretty sure I had the same goofy grin on my face all day.)

Three years ago, we ate cake that was almost too pretty to eat. (Almost.)

Three years ago, our nephews were soooo young. And they finally forgave me for moving their beloved uncle to Florida. (At least, I think they've finally forgiven me. I would be mad at me, too. They have a pretty awesome uncle.)

Three years ago, we danced together - and like always, Tim made me laugh.

Three years ago, we were joined by the majority of our families and bridal party at Dave & Buster's. I wore my wedding dress (Tim refused to wear his tux), and even though I could not have been more exhausted (who had the bright idea to have a morning wedding ceremony, anyway?), we had a blast celebrating.

Three years ago, I married an amazing man - a man who supports me, makes me laugh, loves me unconditionally, works hard for our family and is an absolutely wonderful father. A man who has made me a better person and is truly my best friend. A man who has provided me with a love I never imagined.

And three years ago, I never imagined how awesome our life together would be. We may not have everything we want or get to spend as much time together as other couples, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. No matter what struggle face or obstacle we're presented with, we're in it together, and that's all that matters.

Happy anniversary, babe - I love you! Looking forward to many more years of love and laughter :)

I heart November

Growing up, April and October were my favorite months. I grew up in Pennsylvania and Ohio, so my choices were partially weather-related: April, because it wasn't going to snow frequently and because my birthday comes at the end of the month. And October, because I love fall, and that month holds all of the best of a midwest autumn without the common appearance of the dreaded snow - you have blustery days when you curl up with a blanket on the couch, deep blue skies and crisp, crunchy leaves of gorgeous colors under your feet wherever you walk.

But in the last few years, my favorite month has slowly shifted. To November.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, so that was a plus. The family togetherness of Christmas without all of the hype and stress of gift-giving=pure perfection. (And pumpkin pie? Thankyouverymuch.)

In Florida, November is the month when the heat fades and you remember why it is nice to live in the south.You can go outside without feeling like the humidity is going to choke you to death. You can enjoy an afternoon walk without worrying about the summer afternoon rain showers. And you can turn off the air conditioning for the first time since March and open the windows. November in Florida, my friends, is a glorious thing.

And then I started thinking about all of the great life events that have happened in November.

In November 2003, Tim and I started dating. 

In November 2007, we got engaged on the beach - on Veteran's Day.

In November 2008, two years ago today, we got married in Ohio. (Happy anniversary, babe!)

In November 2009, we found out that our family of two had expanded - and we were pregnant!

So really, we've crammed a lot of significant life-changing moments in to a yearly span of 30 days :)

An anniversary outing

We have a list of "things to do in Florida," and seeing a show at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in nearby Sarasota was on the list. Even though I asked for no presents for our wedding anniversary in November, Tim insisted on getting something. He bought tickets to see Mamma Mia at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota in February. (It was baby's first musical!) Seeing a show at the Van Wezel is something we've wanted to do for a while, and I'm really glad we got to go to this show there.

The Van Wezel is nicknamed
the Purple Palace.

We both took the day off work and saw a Sunday matinee. It was the cast's closing day. We had good seats and it was a packed house (although the people who packed it totally annoyed me, but that's another story). We drive by Van Wezel every time we go to our baby doctor appointments, but this was the first time we'd actually seen a full parking lot. (Uh, probably because there aren't a lot of shows at 8:30 in the morning.)

Purple Palace sidewalk.

The coolest part about the show for me was that about halfway through the first act, I realized that I recognized one of the actors. I watched a lot of Days Of Our Lives when I was growing up and after college, and Matthew Ashford was one of several actors who played the character Jack Deveraux. Apparently Matthew Ashford loves performing in the theater, and he played Bill Austin in Mamma Mia. I might have been a little bit *too* excited that a connection to my childhood was performing on stage right in front of me.

Van Wezel is right on the water
and the weather was gorgeous,
so we took a photo.
I was starving at this point.

After the performance, we went to dinner at Primo, an Italian restaurant that had been recommended to us by the realtor who sold Tim the condo almost four years ago. We've driven past it countless times but never around a mealtime or with time to spare. We now LOVE this place. They had an amazing "early bird" special that they were serving around 5:30, which isn't exactly all that early. We had a fantastic meal, and it was the perfect end to a great afternoon, and a great way to celebrate our anniversary (and actually, Valentine's Day, because I'd been called in to work on the Monday that we were going to celebrate that), even if it was several months later.