Always in our hearts...

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One Year Wedding Anniversary Trip

The traditional one year wedding anniversary gift is something made of paper.  So, at the end of June, Mark and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary a little early with the purchase of plane tickets to Kauai, Hawaii.

On our honeymoon, we spent much of it exploring Europe with a few days at the end relaxing on the Cote d'Azur (France) and Lake Como (Italy).  We realized that as much as we love exploring, there is something to be said about relaxing and just doing "nothing."

A secret beach near Princeville - we never found the real name of that beach

Nearly, immediately, we knew that we wanted to plan a trip for our first anniversary.  And, we knew that it would be spent relaxing on a beach somewhere.  As March and April came around, we started to explore our options and came down to two potential destinations: French Polynesia and Hawaii.  Ultimately, we chose Kauai because of how close it is to San Francisco and the cost.  A trip to French Polynesia is still on our list.  We'll take that trip another time in an "off-season."

Drinks at sunset at the St. Regis, Princeville

This trip was exactly what we were looking for on a relaxing vacation.  We spent hours at the pool and on the beach.  We snorkeled nearly every day.  Our favorite place was Tunnels Beach (one of the best places to snorkel), where we saw tons of tropical fish and a few sea turtles.  We hiked the Waimea Canyon and kayaked the Wailua River.  We picnicked by a waterfall.  All in all, it was the perfect anniversary trip full of adventure and fun - which reflects our life together nicely.

Snorkeling at Poipu Beach

 I can't wait to see what adventure we'll take next!

*All photos taken with our camera by one of us or by a kind stranger.

One Year Ago...

A year ago, on August 7, 2010, I walked down the aisle of a very old church in Hintertux, Austria and married the love of my life.  The last 365 days flew by in the blink of an eye - I can't believe it has been an entire year.

In that time, we became a true family. We fulfilled many of each others wishes, shared in some heartache, created new dreams and are planning many more adventures.

Right after our first married kiss and before walking up the aisle to life together!

My sweet Mark, I can't wait to see what the next 365 days and the next 365 days and the next...bring to us.  I savor each moment of our marriage one day-at-a-time so that I can keep extending the joy which has not left me from the moment we were pronounced husband and wife.

Happy one year anniversary of fun and laughter in our marriage!  I love you more and more with each day...and I look forward to what life brings us next.

A Friendship Tested

A friend, who shall remain nameless (and who I don't believe reads my blog), has been having an affair with a married man for nearly a year now.  It is not the first affair that she has had and just like the other one that I'm aware of, I disapprove.  I support and encourage all my single friends to find loving, committed relationships but I just cannot approve of one that is mired in infidelity and deceit.

The first affair she was involved in was when I was single.  I didn't disapprove but I never really approved of it either - perhaps I was indifferent.  I never met that boyfriend and I didn't really want to meet him.  This time around I'm married and I have a clear understanding of the sanctity of the marriage vow.

Now, I've met this guy.  He's nice, of course, but I'm not surprised.  A family man of sorts.  She says that he doesn't want to leave his wife because of the children - they have a child who requires a lot of attention because of some special emotional needs.  I kind of get that part.  But, I wonder if his wife would leave him, if she knew that her husband was having an affair.

There's one more thing.  This guy is the partner in a law firm.  A law firm where my friend is an associate.  No need to say anything more.  Right?!

I wonder why my friend gets involved in inappropriate relationships.  I think she needs therapy.

I'm not going apologize for the reasons why I can't be supportive.  In fact, I am very close to not wanting to be friends with her.  I don't think this relationship - the one with her boyfriend - is not going to end well.  While I wish her the best and I believe that she truly believes that he will leave his wife once the kids are out of high school, I can't standby and watch and support.

It makes me sick to think of the idea of Mark deceiving me like her boyfriend is deceiving his wife. His family.  I think that if he really loves my friend, he would let her go.  He would encourage her to find her way into an appropriate relationship or he would end his marriage now.

I wish that my friend would look in the mirror and find the self-respect to leave him.  She is an incredibly smart woman who deserves to find a man who can be present in their relationship 100% of the time.  I can't tell her that anymore.  She has closed her ears and eyes to it.  I have to let go.  I've definitely stepped back and it makes me sad but I need to do what I need to do.

Am I being too hard on my friend?  What would you do if you were in my position?

Music to My Ears

It is high time that I update my iPod playlist.  I'm tired of the music that I have on it.  It probably hasn't been added to in at least six months.  How boring, right?!  It is sad especially because I have about $20 worth of music that could be purchased.

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I LOVE listening to music but I'm severely deficient in the music area.  Luckily Mark is very interested in music and knows a lot because I always can use some more help.  Any suggestions?

Here are some of my favorite musicians/bands to get a sense of what I like:

• U2
• The Limousines
• The Killers 
• Keane 
• Alicia Keyes
• The Foster People
• Kings of Leon

I also love classical music from my days playing the violin.  I listen to it in the car so I'm less aggressive (seriously, it helps - try it).

What are you listening to that you think I should add to my playlist?!  I'm open to any and all ideas.  I love music but am terrible at figuring out what's new.

Restocking the Kitchen

Mark and I just returned from some quiet time away - an early celebration of our first wedding anniversary.  I'll tell you more about our adventures another time.  For now, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite rituals when I come back from time away from home: restocking my kitchen of the foods and drinks that we love and rely on each week.

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 We each have our favorite foods and I like to take my time building a list of meals that I'll make for the coming week.  As much as I love eating out as often as possible during a holiday away, I truly miss cooking a satisfying meal for the two of us.

Some of the must-haves on our list include:

• Yogurt - Greek for me and various flavors for Mark
• Milk
• Juice - Mark calls me the juice monster because I love juice so much
• Fruit - today I picked up strawberries, peaches, grapes and bananas
• Vegetables - I always must have lettuces for salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
• Bread and crackers - today I picked up a loaf of buttermilk and French (for dinner tomorrow night)
• Cheese - Manchego and cheddar - and Salami, so I can fix myself one of my favorite lunches
• Organic chicken - I got leg and thigh pieces for one meal and whole legs for another meal that I'm making tonight
• Canned tomatoes - both whole and diced
• Fresh herbs - thyme (I have a pot of basil and rosemary in my kitchen, which is lovely but I sometimes need extras)
• Garlic - I love to make fresh Italian pasta sauce and it requires a lot of garlic
• Peanut butter - my husband would go nuts if we didn't have peanut butter in the house
• Preserves - raspberry to go with the peanut butter!
• Pasta - 'nuff said!

What are the staples of your pantry and fridge?

Favorite Things: For Lunch

One of my favorite things for lunch is a platter filled with various salume, cheese, fig spread, crackers/artisan breads, grapes, olives, cornichons, almonds drizzled with honey.  Yummm....I really could eat a platter right now. By myself. With a glass of wine.  And, some good company.

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 What is your favorite thing for lunch?  Share with us in the comments.

2011 Can Only Look Up

2011 has been a rough year for us.  I'm not ready and may never be ready to go into a lot of detail but I can tell you that we were dealt a bad hand so far this year.  If I could do it over again, I would.  Or, would I?

It started out with some health issues of my own on New Year's Eve when we were in Los Angeles.  We were down there to celebrate the Wisconsin Badgers trip to the Rose Bowl.  They lost and sadly so did we though the trip wasn't a complete loss because we made some memories and had some really good laughs.  In the past month, my sister who is bi-polar is dealing with some tough issues as a result of her illness and a surgery she had to have done.  It opened my eyes a little more to how she functions and how I need to learn to deal with her when we are in contact.  And, another VERY close person to me is dealing with an unexpected illness of a different kind that we are all still trying to grasp.

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Through all of these ups and downs, I'm more and more grateful for Mark.  Without his love, support, and encouragement, I think I would be lost.  When we exchanged vows in August, we promised to be there for each other in sickness and in health.  So far, we are proving ourselves right.  It is true that you fall in love with your spouse more every day - I've certainly done that with Mark.  Luckily, I've fallen in love with him more not only because of the tough times we've experienced together this year but also because of the fun and laughter that we share every day together.  He makes me laugh EVERY DAY.  Seriously.  I think that he makes it his goal to have me roll on the ground laughing at least once a day.  He succeeds though he might argue that I'm the one who makes him laugh.

Truly.  I'm glad that I waited until I found HIM.  The right guy to spend the rest of my days. He has shown me what true love is and what true love should be in life.  I'm lucky and in knowing so, I know that 2011 can only look up no matter what else comes our way.  [Sorry for the sappiness...but I'm feeling it and need to get it out!]

Here Comes the Bride...

Tomorrow, Kate Middleton is a bride and a princess.  She gets a real prince.  Lucky girl in some ways and not so lucky in others.

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I know how I felt leading up to my wedding last August - overwhelmed with love and joy - but I cannot fathom how she must feel.  The magnitude of emotions that I felt knowing that I was committing myself to one man for the rest of my life was great.  The magnitude of emotions that Kate must be feeling must be overwhelming - some really incredibly good and some of fear of the unknown.  She is not only committing herself to a man but she is entering a life of great sacrifice.

I believe that women in general sacrifice more than men do in a marriage.  There's nothing wrong with it and I certainly don't complain about it but it is a fact.  Traditionally, we sacrifice our last names to take on the name of our husband.  We also tend to sacrifice and compromise more to keep the peace and happiness in our family.  The sacrifice that Kate is facing is none that I can imagine or will ever experience.

Kate is not only sacrificing her last name - I'm sure she wasn't even given a choice - but she is also sacrificing her privacy, her family (I don't believe she will be able to spend Christmas with her family again), and so much more than possible to get into here in one short blog post.  I give her a lot of credit.  She dated Prince William for eight years before he proposed, so she knows what she is getting herself into.  From what is shown of her on the news, she seems to be pretty grounded - you've gotta love a girl who could buy any designer in the world but shops at the chain retailer a week before her wedding - and confident.  I hope that she keeps that confidence and doesn't lose herself like Diana did before her.

I wish both of Prince William and her much happiness, enduring love and commitment, as many children as they desire, and a peaceful and joyful life together.

For Kate's big day, as she becomes a wife and a princess, I wish her the clarity to take in every single moment of the day.  I wish her joy as she walks down the aisle to her future husband and happiness and love as she walks up the aisle into a new life for herself.

Many happy returns to Prince William and the future Princess Catherine!